Compostable and Renewable Films
3 cellulosic
processing
facilities
2 Research &
development
centres
37,000 tonnes
of cellulose film
produced annually
A leading global position
in the markets for
renewable & compostable
packaging films
Established
April 1st 1947
Group turnover
~$794Million
~1900 employees
with sales to over
100 countries
13 Sales &
technical offices
Futamura Group
Key facts
6 Manufacturing Divisions Serving Customers Around The World
Film Product Overview Leading Applications
Cellulose FilmsNatureFlex™, Cellophane™ & Pearl™ brands made from
renewable raw materials. Futamura is the world’s leading producer of sustainable cellulose packaging films
Non-woven FabricNon woven fabric made from cellulose & used in medical, sanitary
& cosmetic goods
Fibrous CasingOur MEATLONN™ fibrous casings are valued by our customers for their high quality, strength & consistent sizes. They are used
globally in smoked meat & cheese markets
Plastic FilmsFutamura produces a range of plastic films in Asia, including
BOPP, MOPP, Cast PP, LLDPE, MOPE & PET films fora range of packaging & industrial applications
Activated Carbon
Applications for our activated carbon products include drinking water filtration, air filters for critical uses such as semiconductor factories & food processing filtration for products such as sake,
vinegar & soy-sauce
Phenolic
Laminated Sheets Broadly used in various fields such as insulation & structural
materials for electric components and electric machines
What is NatureFlex™?
Typical Film construction
• The successor to traditional Cellophane™ • Cellophane market is declining (cost vs OPP), but NatureFlex is growing (market trends)
• Maximising readily-renewable content, managed forestry
• Certified home and industrial compostable
• Futamura is a direct signatory to EMF’s New Plastics Economy commitment• Our goal is to be a 100% compostable packaging film supplier by 2025
High heat resistance
Natural Anti-Static propertiesfor enhanced machinability
Excellent chemical resistance
Resistance to greases, oils & fats
Proven print &conversion performances
Technical Attributes – NatureFlex™ and CellophaneTM Films
Good gloss & transparency
Excellent gas & mineral oil barrier
Tailored moisture permeabilityto suit a wide variety of products
Inherent dead fold for twistor fold-end uses
Wide heat-seal range of coated films for enhanced packaging speed
Environmental Attributes – Cellophane™ & NatureFlex™
Certified to the Industrial composting
norms, EN13432 & ASTM D6400
Wood pulp sourced from FSC™ or
PEFC™ certified plantations
Suitable for anaerobic digestion
Certified to OK compost’s home
composting standard by TŰV Austria
Generally >90% bio-based carbon
based on ASTM D6866
Testing for marine biodegradation
White = Cellophane and NatureFlex
Yellow = NatureFlex only
• Packaging films tend to be from one of 2 schools:
• Soft, Strong & Stretchy (PE, CPP…)• Designed for sealant webs, tear-resistant bags etc
• Stiffer ‘oriented’ types (BOPP, BOPET…)• Designed for print and barrier webs
• In the bio world there are a number of materials in the Soft & Strong arena• PBS(A), Starch blends, Copolyesters
• But there are only 2 in the ‘oriented’ space:• PLA, NatureFlex
• NatureFlex is unique in combining ‘oriented plastic film’ properties in a heat-resistant format…
7
Where does NatureFlex fit in the flexible packaging world?
PET//PE replaced by NatureFlex NK//Biosealant film
Converter Parkside Flexibles
Layer A
Layer B
Layer C
• Layer A - PET (NatureFlex)• Stiffness, printability, heat resistance
• Layer B – Metallised PET or Alu foil
(met NatureFlex)• Moisture barrier, gas barrier, light barrier
• Layer C – PE (Biopolymer)• Seal strength, integrity
Bio-laminates
Place – segmentation - the ‘Retail triangle’
Organic & Natural
Premium,Healthy, Fairtrade
Conventional retailer brands
Value Brands‘Pile it high & sell it cheap’
Consumer asking for
‘responsible packaging’
• Typically we see ~4 different categories for any food product type
• Certain market sectors are stronger in the ‘natural’ and ‘premium’ categories than others
– E.g. Teas, Coffees, Chocolate, Fresh Produce
• Also: emerging opportunities in specific application sectors:
– E.g. Foodservice, Closed loop systems
Questions we’re asked when we promote
plastic films:
• What moisture barrier does it provide?
• What gas barrier does it provide?
• How much does it cost?
Questions we’re asked when we promote
Biofilms:
• What moisture barrier does it provide?
• What gas barrier does it provide?
• How much does it cost?
• When you say renewable, how renewable?
• How do you measure that ?
• Where does the raw material come from?
• Is it made using GMO?
• Is it sustainably certified?
• Does it compete with food crops?
• Is it biodegradable ?
• What’s the difference between biodegradable and
compostable?
• Is it home compostable ?
• Will it disappear on the shelf?
• Who certified it?
• What’s its carbon-footprint?
• Is it recyclable?
and on and on and on…
An imbalanced playing-field?
Biomaterials are expected to exceed
the level required for conventional
materials
• Economy of scale
• Impact of crude oil versus biomass
– For biomass – direct and indirect land use change, impact of biodiversity should be assessed
• No uncertainties too large to evaluate
• CO2 reducing effect sufficiently recognised?
– For crude oil and process chain – large gaps in transparency
• Impacts on terrestrial and marine biodiversity
• Incidents and accidents not evaluated
• Uncertainties deemed too high to justify an analysis of impacts
• Aggregated data tends to include modern installations
• Not country specific
Bio based polymers compared with petrochemicals wrt LCA
• NatureFlex films are designed for composting or AD as the intended end of life scenario, but will break down
in most environments (e.g. waste water, marine, soil)
• Home composting seen as an interim advantage
• Futamura to Lead EMF Pioneer project from Q4 2019 on best practice use of compostables
– List of applications which ‘make sense’ for compostables
e.g. bio-waste bags, fruit and veg bags, tea bags,
fruit labels, coffee capsules, catering items, multi layer flexible packaging
and contaminated food packaging
– Compatibility of all biomaterials to follow one practical organic recycling route
– EMF/Mondi-led identification programme – single indicator for MRF sorting
Acceptance of Compostable Packaging & Infrastructure
Position for organic recycling & infrastructure
• BBIA stakeholder work in UK specifically
– Mandatory food waste collections by 2023
– Allow compostable packaging to be collected with the food waste
• Benefits of compostable films
– Compostables aid the collection of organic waste
• More waste, more income
– Improves soil quality – need a specific C:N ratio. Compostable packaging is a carbon source
• Can improve biomass yield (OWS)
– Bulking agent – improves aeration. Kitchen waste is dense and needs aerating
• Compostables are an alternative to yard waste (being used for biomass incineration)
• Scale-wise, organic waste is a much bigger problem
(or opportunity) than plastic waste
Organic waste v plastic waste
Source: Science Direct 2017
Every tonne of organic waste, avoiding landfill,
taken through AD & then AC:
• Saves between 500kg & 1500kg CO2eq emissions
• Creates 300KWh of electricity
(>1 month requirement of a family home)
• Creates ~850litres of fertilising digestate
• Mix ~50/50 in AC with Garden-waste to create
optimum fertilising and soil-structure remediating
compost
• Improved water retention
• Reduced need for fossil-based fertilisers
• Improves the carbon:nitrogen ratio.
Sources: ADBA, NNFCC, REA
QUESTIONS?
Dr Lucy Cowton
Sustainability Manager
• DDI +44 (0)16973 41610
• Mobile +44 (0)7710 031041
• Email [email protected]
• www.futamuragroup.com
• Twist wrap: natural dead-fold and static-free. Bespoke colours etc.
• Confectionery, nutrition bars & ice cream wrappers
• Other small format difficult to recycle wrappers (<A5 size)
• Coffee capsules: lid/membrane elements
• Barrier laminates & pouches
• effectively replaces BOPET & BOPA layers
• E.g. Pet food, cereals
• Suitable for HFFS, VFFS, Overwrap, Sachet & Twist formats
Which Applications are best suited to NatureFlex?
• Standard 3 layer PET//met.PET//PE laminate replaced by 2 layerNatureFlex NM White//Biosealant
• Standard degassing valve replaced by Compostable degassing valve
• Uses certified compostable inks and adhesives
• No loss of effective shelf life
• Renewable raw material content moved fromZero to 70%
• Packaging carbon footprint reduced by 44%
Benefits of moving to a compostable structure: