Mater-Bi Biodegradable and Compostable Cling Film for Food Present at Marca Exhibition

It has the same technical characteristics of strength and stretch as traditional products developed for domestic use without using any plasticisers or additives that could transfer into food.

2/4/2011 --- Novamont’s first commercial cling film for foodstuffs, completely biodegradable and compostable, produced thanks to the partnership between Novamont, the leading company in the bioplastics sector, and Silvex, manufacturer and leading consumer brand present at MarcabyBolognaFiere – Private Label Conference and Exhibition. A revolutionary innovation in the area of food preservation films for domestic use, the product received Legambiente's Friend of the Environment Innovation Award 2010, a national award recognising technological and management innovation in products, processes, services and systems, either fully developed or at an advanced stage of development, which have contributed to significant improvements in the area of environmental sustainability and which are characterised by their originality and potential for development, with particular regard to regional specificity.

Showcased at the K 2010 Exhibition, the Second-Generation Mater-Bi film is biodegradable and compostable and contains raw materials from renewable resources.

This stretchy film can be used for all kinds of foodstuffs, even food that has a high fat content (oils, sauces, butter, etc.) or that is acidic. After use, it can be disposed of as organic waste as the material has been certified as compostable in accordance with standard EN 13432 and is compatible with various kinds of composting plant technology.

It has the same technical characteristics of strength and stretch as traditional products developed for domestic use without using any plasticisers or additives that could transfer into food. It is specially formulated to be easy to tear off without needing a serrated cutting edge, making it safer and more convenient.

An intrinsic characteristic of the material is its high permeability to water vapour, helping to evaporate the condensation that forms on warm food that is refrigerated. This makes it ideal for preserving and protecting foodstuffs.

Mater-Bi is the main product developed by Novamont. While providing the same strength and performance as traditional plastics, it contains renewable resources of agricultural origin. It reduces greenhouse gas emissions, and the consumption of energy and non-renewable resources, thus completing a virtuous circle: the raw materials of natural origin return to the earth through biodegradation and composting processes without releasing pollutants.

Second-generation Mater-Bi is available in a wide range of grades for applications in films and flexible coatings characterised by an increased content of renewable raw materials, low levels of greenhouse gas production and less dependency on raw materials of fossil origin. Besides investments in new plant and new capacities, second-generation Mater-Bi is a result of Novamont's successful integration of starch-based technology with technology using polyesters obtained from vegetable oils, with a view to completing the locally integrated Biorefinery project. Novamont is currently working with Coldiretti Umbria, thanks to a subsidy provided under a regional development programme, to identify and develop specific crops and processing techniques with a low environmental impact.