DUPONT Packaging and Industrial Polymers and Plantic Technologies Limited, an Australian company specialising in starch-based biopolymers, announced on Wednesday plans to collaborate in the development and sale of renewably sourced polymers made from Plantic® technology.
Plans include the collaborative development of new, renewably sourced resins and sheet materials based on high-amylose corn starch, an annually renewable feedstock, for applications including cosmetics, personal care, and food packaging trays, caps and containers.
In addition to co-developing these new materials, DuPont will market and distribute Plantic’s starch-based resins and sheet products under the DuPont™ Biomax® family of products.
By joining the strengths of these two companies, the use of renewably sourced materials will be broadened and accelerated.
“Putting DuPont’s polymer science and biotechnology together with Plantic’s leading-edge starch-based technology will help both companies broaden the performance of this class of polymers, giving the market more options to replace the use of nonrenewable feed-stocks”, Shanna Moore, DuPont global business director for sustainable packaging materials, said.
“This is part of the company’s overall strategy to double revenues from non-depletable resources to $8 billion by 2015 through a combination of DuPont R&D and targeted strategic partnerships.”
Under the agreement, DuPont will market Plantic’s starch-based sheet materials for trays and rigid packaging applications in North America, extending Plantic’s existing market for these materials, which previously had been Europe and Australia.
DuPont will also brand and sell starch-based injection molding resins made with Plantic® technology in all markets except Australia and New Zealand, using the DuPont™ Biomax® brand.
The current plans encompass sheet and injection molding resins with the expectation that more lines will be added to the portfolio as they are co-developed.
“This agreement with DuPont will help Plantic expand the reach of its renewably sourced polymer technology around the world, and will enhance significantly the opportunities for product development for this technology, by tapping into one of the world’s leading science companies,” Plantic CEO Grant Dow said.
Plantic based products will be part of a growing suite of products being marketed under the DuPont Renewably Sourced™ Materials initiative (www.renewable.dupont.com).
Plantic’s novel polymer manufacturing technology is based on the use of high-amylose corn starch, a material derived from annual harvesting of specialized (hybrid) corn.
The unique chemical and film-forming properties of this type of corn starch allow for development of a range of applications across conventional plastics markets.
In addition to being renewably sourced, users can take advantage of excellent end-of-life properties such as biodegradability and compostability.
For more information visit the company websites:
DuPont www.dupont.com
Plantic Technologie www.plantic.com.au