Bio-plastics are weaving into life

Rising fuel prices and environmental problems are now a top concern for mankind. Therefore, research and development of environmentally friendly consumer products has been a priority for scientists and manufacturers around the world. The advent of ' bio-plastic ' technology is seen as a solution to gradually reduce dependence on oil and contribute to improving health and protecting the environment.

Currently, there is no official statistics on bioplastic production in the world, but manufacturers believe that this product only accounts for a modest market share in the global plastic market estimated at USD 250 billion with a total of output about 180 million tons per year.

Currently, the capacity of the NatureWorks factory, the leading brand in the US bioplastic market, is about 150,000 tons - equivalent to 0.001% of the global market share. However, environmentally friendly plastic products are more competitive thanks to the advantages of consumers and environmental health. Manufacturers are offering a wide range of products and properties from food containers, kitchenware to lipstick containers, fabric fibers, promotional shopping cards .

The biodegradable properties of bioplastics can compensate for the plastic recycling process which takes a lot of time. For example, in 2005, only 6% of plastics produced in the US were recycled. In addition, bioplastics also help the US reduce 10% of oil consumption - the original material used for plastic production.

Some products made of bioplastic.(Photo: treehugger)

An equally important advantage of bioplastics is that this product does not contain the composition of polyvinyl chloride (PVC) which affects human health . However, according to Mike Schade of the Center for Health, Environment and Justice (a non-profit organization in Virginia state), this promising new technology is also facing some challenges like not yet received. the absolute support of environmental experts, raw materials from crops such as corn, sugarcane, sweet potatoes which need land and water to cultivate while production costs are 3 times higher than plastic fusion.

The latest bio-plastic brand is Mirel from Metabolix in the UK. This product is easier to disintegrate than other materials (about 2 months on average) due to the use of genetically modified bacteria to promote decomposition. Mirel was first applied in July 2007 when Target retailer used this plastic gift voucher at its 129 supermarkets.

However, NatureWorks - the product of Cargill Group - is the most widely used brand. The advantage of NatureWorks over Mirel is that it can be used to produce transparent packaging like mineral water bottles. The NatureWorks process consumes 68% less fuel than traditional plastic. This plastic is being used in 45,000 stores worldwide from Marks & Spencer (UK) to E-Mart (Korea). NatureWorks is increasingly close to life from Sony's Walkman player case to Wal-Mart supermarket bags.

Other bioplastic products are also biodegradable such as Ecoflex (BASF AG - Germany), Mater-Bi Novamont SPA - Italia), Cereplast (Hawthrorne - USA) and recyclable items of two DuPont plastic companies. (USA) and Braskem SA (Brazil) .

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