BASF, a leading chemical company, announced its plan to establish compounding capacities for its certified compostable biopolymer ecovio® in Shanghai, China.
The move is aimed at better supporting local customers in Asia and meeting their needs for film applications, including certified compostable shopping and organic waste bags, soil-biodegradable agricultural mulch films, and packaging.
Benefits for Customers
The availability of ecovio® in Asia-Pacific from mid-2023 will benefit customers in the region in several ways. Firstly, they will benefit from closer proximity to BASF’s innovative biopolymer and services, leading to shorter delivery times. Additionally, the move will enable customers to adapt more quickly to changing plastics regulations in the region, including new laws and regulations that enforce the use of compostable materials in bag applications, agricultural mulch films, and packaging.
Certified Compostable Biopolymer Ecovio®
Ecovio® is a high-quality biopolymer certified according to international and national standards. It is made from a blend of BASF’s PBAT ecoflex® and renewable raw materials. The biopolymer can be biodegraded by microorganisms under industrial and home composting conditions, as well as in agricultural soil.
Applications of Ecovio®
Ecovio® has a wide range of applications, including organic waste bags, cling film, fruit and vegetable bags, agricultural mulch films, and food packaging. Studies have shown that the biopolymer has numerous advantages, including reducing food waste, returning nutrients to the soil through greater volumes of compost, and avoiding the accumulation of persistent microplastics in agricultural soil. This contributes to a Circular Economy by closing the nutrient cycle via organics recycling.
“With local compounding capabilities, we will be better positioned to accelerate business growth in the important Asian markets by more effectively meeting the needs of film manufacturers across the region,” says Marcel Barth, head of global Biopolymers marketing at BASF. “With upcoming new laws and regulations in a lot of countries in Asia-Pacific enforcing the use of compostable materials in bag applications, agricultural mulch films, and packaging, the positive market development is expected to continue.”