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Worldwide - 2006
Plastic Packaging Replaces Oil with Corn
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Plastic packaging derived from a corn-based polymer is helping Alcoa's Reynolds Food Packaging (RFP) business meet both a growing customer demand for sustainable packaging and Alcoa's long-term goal to eliminate waste.
Called polylactic acid (PLA) packaging, the product is manufactured from a polymer produced from corn sugar (dextrose). The dextrose is converted into lactic acid, which is then polymerized into PLA. Since 2000, Alcoa has been using this PLA polymer to produce plastic sheet in Europe for the electronics market, and it is now entering the deli and bakery packaging market in North America.
Rising oil costs and advancements in resin production technology have made PLA packaging cost competitive with traditional oil-derived plastics, and heightened awareness among both RFP's customers and end-users for environmentally friendly alternatives is pushing up demand for the product.
In addition to being made from a renewable source, PLA packaging can be recycled. It also can be composted at a commercial composting facility, where it biodegrades over a 12-week period. Current limitations include the product's brittle nature and thermal stability, which requires humidity below 50% and temperatures under 41° Celsius (105° Fahrenheit). The latter is overcome in high-heat regions through the use of refrigerated or insulated trucks.
RFP currently uses 100% virgin polymer to produce its PLA sheet and packaging, but the business is developing a version that contains recycled content to enhance its sustainable nature and further lower costs.
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