Archives: News

Natural polymers: how are they excluded from the scope of the directive

Single Use Plastics Directive

Its real name is DIRECTIVE (EU) 2019/904 OF THE EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT AND OF THE COUNCIL of 5 June 2019 on the reduction of the impact of certain plastic products on the environment, however, it is commonly known as the Single Use Plastics (SUP) Directive.

The SUP Directive was first proposed to tackle single-use plastic products which are the most founded on beaches and fishing gear.

As stated in the Directive, ‘single-use plastic product’ means a product that is made wholly or partly from plastic and that is not conceived, designed or placed on the market to accomplish, within its life span, multiple trips or rotations by being returned to a producer for refill or re-used for the same purpose for which it was conceived;

According to this definition, the SUP Directive includes in its scope other products laminated with plastic, such as paper packaging and plates made of paper with a plastic layer (also known as coated paper).

All types of plastic are included in the scope of the Directive, even biobased and biodegradable plastics. Except from unmodified natural polymers, within the meaning of the definition of ‘not chemically modified molecules’ in point 40 of Article 3 of Regulation (EC) No 1907/2006 of the European Parliament and of the Council[1].

In the Single Use Plastics Directive we find the definition of plastic as:

What is a plastic?

A ‘plastic’ means a material consisting of a polymer as defined in point 5 of Article 3 of Regulation (EC) No 1907/2006, to which additives or other substances may have been added, and which can function as a main structural component of final products, with the exception of natural polymers that have not been chemically modified;

But what are “natural polymers that have not been chemically modified”?

Polymers that meet the following two conditions laid down in point (1) of Article 3 are exempt from the Directive:

  • they qualify as natural polymers and
  • they meet the requirement of having not been chemically modified.

I. What is a natural polymer?

The term natural polymer is defined in the ECHA Guidance as follows:

‘Natural polymers are understood as polymers which are the result of a polymerisation process that has taken place in nature, independently of the extraction process with which they have been extracted

What is a polymerisation process which takes place in nature?

Based on the REACH Regulation and the related ECHA Guidance, polymers produced via an industrial fermentation process are not considered natural polymers since polymerisation has not taken place in nature. Therefore, polymers resulting from biosynthesis through man-made cultivation and fermentation processes in industrial settings, e.g. polyhydroxyalkanoates polymer (PHA), are not considered natural polymers as not being the result of a polymerisation process that has taken place in nature.

This statement caused big controverse because these types of polymers have been considered as natural produced via biosynthesis in bacteria. However, the industrial process to produce PHA polymer is not a natural process although PHA polymer may be made through a natural bacterial process, the bacteria are placed under “stress” and are then “bursted”, hence according to the directive this cannot be catalogued as a natural polymer.[2]

II. What is not chemically modified?

Recital 11 of the Directive explains that the term not chemically modified molecules should be read in accordance with point (40) of Article 3 of the REACH Regulation, which states: ‘not chemically modified substance: means a substance whose chemical structure remains unchanged, even if it has undergone a chemical process or treatment, or a physical mineralogical transformation, for instance to remove impurities.’

Where changes in the chemical structure of a polymer result from reactions that are only taking place during the extraction process of a natural polymer (e.g. wood pulping process to extract cellulose and lignin), these are not considered to result in a chemical modification of the natural polymer in the meaning of point (1) of Article 3 and Recital 11 of the Directive.

Paper materials out of the scope of the Directive

Paper material resulting from the wood pulping process is not considered to be made of chemically modified natural polymers. This interpretation is also in line with the Impact Assessment accompanying the European Commission’s proposal for this Directive (hereafter, ‘the Impact Assessment’), in which paper-based products without plastic lining or coating have been identified as available, more sustainable, alternatives to single-use plastic products (5).

Casein as a natural polymer

CareTips material is mainly done from Casein. Casein is one of the oldest natural polymers, used for adhesives, dating back to thousands of years ago[3]. As with many other naturally-produced polymers, such as starch, tree gums, and clays, milk protein components exhibit excellent adhesive properties, and have been used as one of the major natural adhesive ingredients for thousands years, until the advent synthetic petroleum-based polymers.

  1. Polymerisation takes place in nature: The casein micelle itself is a heterogeneous polymer complex, made of different casein molecules, composed themselves of different amino acids molecules. Amino acids chain (polymerisation) process takes place in nature, in the cow organism.
  2. Extraction process: as stated in the definition the status of natural polymer is independent of the extraction process. There are several methods to extract the casein from milk. Acidification or enzymatic coagulations are generally used, followed by mechanical processes.
  3. Not chemically modified: The production process of CareTips® is a thermo-mechanical process. No chemical modification takes place. Hence, the natural polymer remains chemically untouched.

In this sense, Lactips material (CareTips®) is considered as a natural polymer, and not a plastic. Hence, Lactips has launched Plastic Free Paper: the first paper packaging solution that is free from plastic or controversial substances and fully recyclable and compostable, which complies completely with the SUP Directive.

Innovation developed in collaboration with the eco-organization CITEO to rethink the world of packaging, while ensuring full control over their end-of-life, food preservation and food safety

Plastic Free Paper: the only coating solution to replace plastics and chemical treatments for sealable packaging papers, a barrier to oxygen, fats and mineral oils.

Plastic-free coating of paper packaging

 

[1] DIRECTIVE (EU) 2019/904 OF THE EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT AND OF THE COUNCIL of 5 June 2019 on the reduction of the impact of certain plastic products on the environment

[2] https://bioplasticsnews.com/2021/06/01/eu-guidelines-sup-directive/

[3] https://www.mdpi.com/2073-4360/8/9/324/htm

Paper packaging, an ecological alternative to plastic packaging?

Sometimes mistakenly presented as less environmentally friendly than plastic, paper is a packaging material with many advantages. Here’s why paper is an effective and sustainable solution.

The difference between biogenic and fossil CO2

As a plastic bag is about twice as light as a paper bag, its carbon footprint appears to be better, on first analysis.

However, there is some controversy about this carbon impact, as there are two types of CO2 emissions:

  • Fossil CO2 emissions, resulting from the burning of carbon buried underground for thousands of years;
  • Biogenic CO2 emissions, from the photosynthesis of sustainably managed plants;

It is therefore important to consider that paper is a material derived from plant biomass and is therefore renewable. Although there are also biobased plastics, this is not the case for petroleum-based plastics.

According to Materials Economics[1], EU CO2 emissions from plastic packaging are expected to double by 2050 if current trends continue.

Paper is easily recyclable

In 2019, the recycling rate for household packaging was estimated at 70.3%, according to CITEO, all materials combined.

However, there are major disparities between types of packaging: while steel is recycled at 100% and glass at 83%, plastic packaging has a recycling rate of less than 30%.

With a recycling rate of 70%, paper and cardboard packaging is well positioned.

Paper and board: the main packaging materials in the EU

From 2009 to 2019, “paper and board” was the main packaging waste in the EU (32.2 million tonnes in 2019), followed by plastic and glass (15.4 million tonnes for plastic waste and 15.2 million tonnes for glass waste in 2019)[2].

LCA studies do not allow for an objective comparison between paper and plastic packaging

It is no longer a secret that the major impact of plastics on the environment is marine pollution. Indeed, of the 300 million tonnes of plastic produced each year worldwide, between 8 and 12 million end up in the oceans. This is why we hear that by 2050 the oceans will contain more plastic than fish[3]!

However, according to Zero Waste Europe[4], some environmental factors, including marine pollution, are not taken into account in the LCA method, as well as the toxicity of certain materials and additives. Ideally, LCAs should therefore include the impact of marine waste and the toxicity of microplastics

While the scientific community is currently trying to fill this gap[5], the impact of plastic is currently largely downplayed and LCA studies of food packaging are often used to justify plastic pollution.

Properly treated paper is perfectly capable of preserving food

Compared to plastic, paper has the disadvantage that it is not water, oil and oxygen proof. However, this limitation is not inevitable: once treated, paper is perfectly capable of providing the barrier functions necessary for food preservation.

Conventional treatments based on chemicals such as perfluorinated substances (PFAs, PFOAs and PFOs) are effective, but recent studies have shown them to be harmful[6]. They have been banned in Denmark and will soon be restricted in Europe

Fortunately, sustainable and non-harmful solutions exist for some barriers and consumers are now willing to pay more for sustainable and healthier alternatives.

Plastic Free PaperTM:The solution for efficient and sustainable paper packaging

Lactips has developed a sustainable, plastic-free paper packaging solution: Plastic Free PaperTM. This is a solution:

    • Guarantees total recyclability of paper and cardboard [7].
    • 100% biosourced;
    • Can be composted at home;
    • Heat-sealable;
    • Guarantees barrier functions;

Plastic-free coating of paper packaging

 

[1] https://materialeconomics.com/publications/sustainable-packaging

[2] https://ec.europa.eu/eurostat/statistics-explained/index.php?title=Packaging_waste_statistics

[3] https://www.wingsoftheocean.com/actualites/pollution-plastique-chiffres/

[4] http://zerowasteeurope.eu/wp-content/uploads/2018/04/Justifying-plastic-pollution_The-shortcomings-of-LCAs-in-food-packaging-policy_FoEE-ZWE-April-2018.pdf

[5] https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s11367-017-1382-z

[6] https://www.generations-futures.fr/actualites/pfas-rapport/

[7] The absence of impact on recyclability has been validated by the Centre Technique du Papier (CTP) in France and the Papiertechnische Stiftung (PTS) in Germany, on applications as a replacement for the sealable plastic layer for non-food packaging and as a replacement for perfluorinated compounds (PFAs) for papers requiring grease resistance.

CareTips®, certified Flustix Plastic Free

Lactips’ CareTips® 300D grade complies with the new DIN CERTCO Flustix Plastic Free certification. The coveted “Plastic Free” label is explained.

 

What is the DIN CERTCO Plastic Free label?

Flustix Plastic Free is a sustainability label, awarded by DIN CERTCO – the certification body of the TÜV Rheinland Group, for plastic-free products. Flustix analyses products and supply chains and then labels approved items with the Flustix certification marks. Flustix supports alternatives to plastic and communicates sustainability for innovative brands.

 

What are the current ways to prove that polymers are plastic-free?

As a first step, under REACH (1907/2006 EC), natural polymers that have not been chemically modified are not considered a “plastic”, and are therefore excluded from the scope of the Single Use Directive. Therefore, CareTips® material is considered to be a natural polymer, which is why it is not considered a plastic from a regulatory perspective.

Secondly, polymers can be declared plastic-free by means of demanding labels such as the DIN CERTCO Flustix Plastic Free certification. In this way, analyses are carried out by an independent laboratory to check the composition of the material or product and to certify that it is completely free of plastic.

For which applications is this relevant?

The Plastic Free label is an interesting way to give credibility to our customers’ environmental claims and to highlight their environmental approach. Indeed, many everyday products contain plastics and this is not necessarily visible: paper packaging or water-soluble packaging for example. This certification allows us to quickly identify products for which a significant effort to reduce plastics has been made!

With CareTips® you can, for example, replace the plastic layer that provides the grease barrier on paper packaging and seals it, while at the same time communicating that the packaging is plastic-free.

Plastic-free coating of paper packaging

 

How to preserve foodstuffs?

Whether fresh, dry, frozen, canned, pasteurised or dehydrated, food products must meet precise and complex preservation criteria. The packaging materials used play a key role in the preservation of food.

Food packaging: the importance of barrier functions

The purpose of food packaging today is to:

  • Contain the product
  • Protect the food against external aggression and guarantee its quality
  • Extend the product’s shelf life
  • Motivate the act of purchase through design and communication of the brand identity
  • Inform the consumer

In order to isolate the product from the external environment, the packaging must therefore provide barrier functions.

  • Oxygen and gas barrier: Oxygen deteriorates the quality of food, causes microbiological growth, promotes discolouration as well as nutrient loss. Many foods are therefore stored in a protective atmosphere (nitrogen or CO2), which requires a good gas barrier ;
  • Barrier to oils and fats: ANSES considers it necessary to limit the migration of mineral oils to foodstuffs, some compounds being genotoxic and mutagenic ;
  • Water vapour barrier: prevents a dry product from absorbing water and softening or a frozen product from losing its crunch.

In addition, depending on the product to be preserved, the packaging must also perform other functions such as:

  • A certain amount of rigidity: while flexible packaging may be sufficient to store grated Emmenthal cheese, the storage of eggs requires rigid packaging to protect against shocks.
  • Gas permeability: foods such as fresh fruit and vegetables need to breathe. Packaging that provides a total barrier to oxygen should therefore be avoided.

The problems of paper and cardboard food packaging

Toxic compounds

In 2017, the ANSES (French Food Safety Agency) highlighted the potential toxicity of certain paper and cardboard food packaging. [1]

Mineral oil residues from inks and adhesives were found in packaged foods.

Recycling seems to exacerbate the problem, as the process of reconstituting paper pulp encourages the incorporation of these residues into recycled packaging.

In addition, some greaseproof papers are treated with perfluorinated compounds (PFAs), whose health risk has been raised by the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA)[2].

The use of plastic barrier layers

To avoid any contamination, ANSES recommends “the use of barriers to limit the migration of MOH[3] from the packaging to the food”.

Paper and cardboard packaging cannot therefore be used alone and the solutions currently proposed to limit the migration of contaminants also include plastic barrier layers (PE, PET, polyamide, acrylate, etc.) However, this also raises the question: do microplastics migrate into our food from these layers?

Multi-layered materials that are difficult to recycle

Paper and cardboard have the disadvantage of being permeable to water, oxygen and grease. They can therefore rarely be used as such.

The use of plastic materials or metallic layers as a coating is therefore necessary to ensure the barrier functions and to guarantee a hermetic seal of the food.

Unfortunately, these various coatings make it very difficult to recycle paper and many packages end up in landfill or incineration.

 

Plastic Free PaperTM: A plastic-free paper solution

To overcome the problems associated with recycling, Lactips, in partnership with CITEO, has developed a plastic-free paper coating solution.

Plastic Free PaperTM solution:

  • Guarantees barrier functions against oxygen, grease and mineral oils;
  • Is 100% biosourced and compostable at home;
  • Is heat-sealable;
  • Ensures total recyclability of paper and cardboard[4] .

 

Plastic-free coating of paper packaging

 

[1] Source : ANSES issues recommendations to reduce contamination of foodstuffs by mineral oils

[2] Report published in 2020 : https://www.efsa.europa.eu/en/news/pfas-food-efsa-assesses-risks-and-sets-tolerable-intake

[3] MOH : Mineral oils

[4] The absence of impact on recyclability has been validated by the Centre Technique du Papier (CTP) in France and the Papiertechnische Stiftung (PTS) in Germany, on applications as a replacement for the sealable plastic layer for non-food packaging and as a replacement for perfluorinated compounds (PFAs) for papers requiring grease resistance.

Lactips wishes you a Happy New Year

As the new year begins, we would like to take this opportunity to wish you all the best for 2023!

The year 2022 was an important year for Lactips, a turning point. Indeed, we have entered an industrial era, drawing the new face of Lactips: a fast-growing industrial SME capable of proactively meeting the expectations of its partners and the market.

This is why we would like to thank our entire ecosystem for the confidence you have shown in Lactips throughout the year.

2023 opens a new and exciting chapter. Our priorities remain the same, to carry on provinding you with a pioneering solution, rich in unique and innovative know-how, and marked by continuous efficiency.

In a world where the preservation of our environment remains at the heart of our concerns, we renew our commitment to rethink plastic solutions to support our customers in their circular economy strategy and to help meeting the ecological and regulatory challenges of today’s and tomorrow’s industries.

We look forward to taking up this unique challenge for you and wish you you a Happy New Year!

On behalf of Lactips, Alexis von Tschammer – CEO

Lactips takes part in the packaging revolution at ALL4PACK

Lactips was present at one of the leading European packaging events: ALL4PACK, which took place from 21 to 24 November 2022 in Paris Nord Villepinte. The ALL4PACK Emballage Paris exhibition brings together the packaging and intralogistics industry players from the food, cosmetics, retail, e-commerce, consumer goods and industrial sectors. These 4 days were punctuated by exchanges, demonstrations and innovation! After 4 years of absence, let’s go back to the most important trade show in the field…

(c) Copyright All4Pack

 

“Rethink completely packagings is a strategic challenge for the industry” said Guillaume Schaeffer, Director of ALL4PACK Paris. The 2022 edition brought together nearly 1,100 exhibitors for around 45,000 visitors from 80 countries, 50% of which were international.

Boosted by the enthusiasm of its visitors, Lactips clearly confirmed its place among the innovative players in packaging and asserted itself as a reference for sustainable solutions.
Lactips presented its Plastic Free Paper™ solution which aims to increase the recyclability of multilayer packaging. A 100% biobased coating solution for paper and board that provides barrier properties and heat sealability, without any impact on the recyclability of the paper.

Plastic-free coating of paper packaging

The exhibition was also the occasion to present the association between Lactips and Green Gen Technologies, who combined their innovations to offer an eco-responsible solution: the first bottle made of flax fibres and equipped with a CareTips® resin label. CareFilm is a water-soluble and biodegradable film for temporary labels. This brand new film is plastic-free in accordance with the strictest regulations, designed for reusable packaging and dissolves during the washing process and can be printed on conventional printing machines.

Presentation of the plastic-free label for the deposit in collaboration with Gren Gen Bottle

In order to better decode the regulations, translate the permanent evolutions and identify the current expectations of the market, ALL4PACK Emballage Paris has set up a Pack Expert Committee. This committee has set up the conference programme of the exhibition: about thirty conferences related to the major issues of the sector and animated by high level speakers.

If you were not present at the event, do not hesitate to contact our teams and discover our eco-responsible solutions to meet the new environmental challenges. Otherwise, come and see us at the next edition of ALL4PACK Emballage Paris, from 7 to 10 November 2024.

 

Lactips enters a new industrial era with the official opening of its first production unit

Press release

Saint-Paul-en-Jarez, September 12, 2022 – Lactips, the French company specialising in the production of the only 100% biosourced polymer, water-soluble and biodegradable in various environments, inaugurated its first 4,200 m² industrial unit in Saint-Paul-en Jarez (42) on 7 September, bringing new life to an old industrial site that has been closed since 2018. On this occasion, Alexis von Tschammer, CEO, presented the company’s new roadmap, which is part of the continuity and development of a new industrial marketing approach.

VALUE, MISSION, AMBITION

“As a pioneer, our vision is to become a global benchmark for natural and biodegradable polymers without microplastics actively contributing to the reduction of waste and pollution of fossil-based plastics,” says Alexis von Tschammer, CEO of Lactips, who took up his position on 1 July 2022.

Industry and the environment can no longer be separated in the understanding of our current economy. Industry is reinventing itself through sustainability, innovation and performance. With this objective in mind, Lactips manufactures a water-soluble natural polymer, biodegradable in various environments, with barrier properties to gases, fats and mineral oils, which enables it to support plastics manufacturers and contractors in their ecological and regulatory transition.
The last 8 years have been marked by major milestones: 15 years of scientific expertise, 7 international patents, 50 employees, more than 30 recognitions and labels, proven applications on three platforms (paper, film, biodegradability accelerator) and the delivery of a functional and qualified 4,200m² industrial site. “Lactips is built on a strong heritage of French deeptech, whose DNA focused on sustainable development remains a strong motivation to deploy the future,” says Alexis von Tschammer. The Board of Directors and shareholders of Lactips continue to offer unwavering support to the company to ensure this future.
Lactips will now accelerate time to market by capturing the expectations of near-consumer customers, plastics processors and rapidly evolving regulations. This approach will be at the heart of Lactips’ development strategy, deployed by Bertrand Dupeyroux, VP Sales & Marketing.

 

THE FACTORY, THE FIRST STEP IN A LARGE-SCALE INDUSTRIAL PROJECT

The project to build the new factory in Saint-Paul-en-Jarez, supported by an SCI represented by Lactips, NOVIM and the Banques des Territoires, has brought together many industrial, financial and local players, illustrating the desire to strengthen France’s industrial fabric in the service of innovation.
The new site brings back to life a former France Crème whipped cream production unit, closed in 2018, and has added an extension. The Lactips site covers 12,000 m² of land, housing a production unit and a research centre (3,200 m²) as well as administrative premises (1,000 m²) for a total usable area of 4,200 m². The renovation and construction work meets standards that exceed current norms, particularly in terms of energy consumption, materials and equipment used. This new operational plant offers a current production capacity of 1,500 tonnes per year of pellets with the ambition of eventually reaching 10,000 tonnes per year. This site will gradually be able to accommodate 6 production lines and meet the specific standards of the food industry. Lactips will soon be recruiting around ten new employees for production line operators, technicians and operators from the plastics and food industries.

“All these measures are the means of our ambitions to write the future, i.e. the passage from a deeptech, greentech start-up to a high-growth industrial SME recognised on the market as a pioneer in the ecological transition of plastics,” concludes Alexis von Tschammer.

About Lactips

Because plastics are necessary for human activity, but controlling their end-of-life is essential, Lactips manufactures a natural biodegradable polymer with multiple technical properties and performance to support manufacturers in their ecological transition. Answering to the challenges of sustainable development in the packaging sector and adapted to the needs of manufacturers, Lactips’ CareTips pellets are used to manufacture 100% natural and biodegradable solutions in water and in home-composting. This new material is also suitable for food products.

Founded in 2014 by Marie-Hélène Gramatikoff, a plasturgist and specialist in business strategy, and Frédéric Prochazka, PhD, a teacher-researcher at the University of Saint-Etienne, Lactips now employs more than 50 people at its new production site, which has a capacity of 3,000 tonnes per year. Lactips, a signatory of the United Nations Global Compact, is one of the 20 leaders of the French Tech Green20 programme, has been awarded the GreenTech Innovation label and is one of the first companies to have received the “1000 Efficient Solutions” label from the Solar Impulse Foundation.

Press contacts :
LACTIPS
Charlène BÉAL-FERNANDES
beal-fernandes@lactips.com
Tel : +33 481 130490
Ou
CALYPTUS
Céline BRUGGEMAN
Tel : +33 1 53 65 68 68
Email: lactips@calyptus.net

Lactips received funds from the EIC Accelerator programme

Last October Lactips announced that it has developed a first-generation Plastic Free PaperTM to offer manufacturers an innovative solution for sustainable, high-performance paper or cardboard packaging. Lactips is now glad to inform that it received funds from the European Innovation Council in order to help in developping next generation of paper or cardboard packagings.

What the EIC Accelerator programme is about?

The EIC Accelerator programme generally grants 70% of funding to innovative projects from industrial and technological SMEs. More specifically, the EIC Accelerator is aimed at disruptive innovation projects with European and international potential and a strong societal impact.

The EIC Accelerator selected Lactips as one of the best innovative companies in Europe to sign a grant agreement. Europe’s high standards lead to structuring and also allow the company to strengthen its international visibility.

How the EIC programme will accelerate the growth of Lactips?

Lactips’ vision is to free seas and environment from plastic. The project funded by The European Union will result in a paper-based food packaging, recyclable, fully biodegradable in nature and compostable (both industrially and at home), and free from any petroleum-based plastic. It answers the biggest challenge of paper packaging: ensuring food preservation at the same level than plastic multilayers.

Targeted applications for this eco-friendly food packaging, that Lactips unlocks for the first time, are fast food/take away, coffee pods, chocolate, coffee, pet food, biscuits, bread, butter, milk and juices, for the main ones. Lactips replaces plastic layers, currently necessary for their barrier performances and to reach current regulations for food safety and food shelf-life extension.

About 70% of food packaging is made of plastic (50% for dry products or products to be peeled or washed  that this project addresses notably). Imagining that our material is paving the way to have petroleum-plastic free packaging for these products, that could represent by 2030 a reduction from 70% to only 20% of plastic packaging (used for wet and fatty food).

This innovation have been selected by the Nova Institut and received the award Renewable Material of the Year 2022 !

To conclude, the EIC Accelerator funds will be used to achieve the second lever of Lactips, addressing the food packaging market opportunity. With plastic-free packaging leading to plastic-free seas and oceans, the product developed by Lactips will meet the Green Deal targets with a practical, easy-to-implement solution that industry has already shown great interest in.

After obtaining the SME instrument phase 2 grant in 2017, Europe signs a new mark of confidence in the industrial start-up, recently labelled Green20 by the Mission French Tech and the French Ministry of Economy, Finance and Recovery – a symbol of the 20 French GreenTech companies promising an upcoming emergence.

Plastic-free coating of takeaway food packaging

Alexis von Tschammer appointed CEO of Lactips

Press release

Saint-Paul-en-Jarez, June 30, 2022 – Lactips, the French company specialised in the production of the only 100% bio-based, biodegradable in water and home-compostable polymer, has chosen a seasoned expert in the performance polymer industry to implement its next phase of growth. He succeeds Marie-Hélène Gramatikoff, who has led the development of the start-up since its creation in 2014 with Frédéric Prochazka, growing from a French university patent to an industrial company with more than 50 people. Identified jointly by the Lactips Board of Directors and Marie-Hélène Gramatikoff, Alexis von Tschammer joins Lactips on July 1, 2022.

Alexis von Tschammer graduated as a chemical engineer from the École Supérieure de Chimie Industrielle in Lyon. He started his career in 1996 in the United States with Multibase SA, a Dow Corning company, world leader in thermoplastic silicone materials and solutions. Back in 2000 at Multibase’s headquarters in Grenoble, he progressed from global manager of the automotive airbag business to Sales and Marketing Director and member of the Executive Committee.

In 2009, Alexis von Tschammer took over the general management of the Estour family group, which has very specific expertise in cardboard, bags, paper, packaging and materials for the industrial, food and catering sectors. In charge of steering the operational management committee, he planned the growth strategy, the management of the industrial tool and the commercial development with key accounts.

In 2015, he joined the Performance Polymers division of Mitsubishi Chemicals (MCPP), the world leader in elastomeric materials. He is in charge of the global business unit management and supports the transformation strategy towards solutions with reduced environmental impact.

Marie Hélène Gramatikoff, co-founder and shareholder of Lactips concludes: “From the creation of Lactips to the move to our new 4,200 m2 industrial site this year, I have supported and structured our ambitious deep tech project right up to its industrialization, and today I am very proud to hand over to Alexis von Tschammer.

For Lactips, in which I remain a shareholder with 20% of the capital, Alexis is an outstanding manager who will, I have no doubt, be able to make a smooth transition that will benefit Lactips’ development. Alexis shares Lactips’ values and will be able to rely on a close-knit team to implement this next step and confirm the potential of the only plastic-free, 100% bio-based and fully biodegradable industrial polymer in various environments.

These years have been very rich both professionally and on a human level and I would like to thank all the employees and the board of directors of Lactips, but also the many financial, industrial and commercial partners and the French and European institutions that have contributed to the success of Lactips.”

About Lactips

Because plastics are necessary for human activity, but controlling their end-of-life is essential, Lactips manufactures a natural biodegradable polymer with multiple technical properties and performance to support manufacturers in their ecological transition. Answering to the challenges of sustainable development in the packaging sector and adapted to the needs of manufacturers, Lactips’ CareTips pellets are used to manufacture 100% natural and biodegradable solutions in water and in home-composting. This new material is also suitable for food products.

Founded in 2014 by Marie-Hélène Gramatikoff, a plasturgist and specialist in business strategy, and Frédéric Prochazka, PhD, a teacher-researcher at the University of Saint-Etienne, Lactips now employs more than 50 people at its new production site, which has a capacity of 3,000 tonnes per year. Lactips, a signatory of the United Nations Global Compact, is one of the 20 leaders of the French Tech Green20 programme, has been awarded the GreenTech Innovation label and is one of the first companies to have received the “1000 Efficient Solutions” label from the Solar Impulse Foundation.

Press contacts :
LACTIPS
Charlène BÉAL-FERNANDES
beal-fernandes@lactips.com
Tel : +33 481 130490
Ou
CALYPTUS
Céline BRUGGEMAN
Tel : +33 1 53 65 68 68
Email: lactips@calyptus.net

What is the paper recycling process?

Paper packaging often incorporates plastic materials to help preserve foodstuffs (oxygen, fats, etc.). The question then arises as to whether these complex (multilayers) packagings are recyclable?

Coated-paper can be used to pack food, protecting the product and giving a nice appearance and useful information to the customer. Once used, the paper is sorted at home. Then, the paper packaging waste is collected and transported to the recycling plant. In the recycling plant, paper and board are separated in several categories.

The recycling process starts with pulping, which is a slurry (also called pulp) made from the collected and chopped papers, water and chemicals. This slurry is then screened to remove contaminants like plastics, insoluble coatings or staples, for example. The next step depends on the grade of the paper. De-inking (optional) consists in the removal of the ink from the paper fibres of the pulp.

The pulp can now be used to make new paper in combination with virgin wood fibres. The pulp is pressed and dried to remove water and form a sheet of paper.

After the papermaking process, a coating is applied to the paper surface to improve the paper properties. Coatings improve the barrier properties of the paper (water, oxygen, sealability, etc.). However, they can complicate the recycling process creating a lot of contaminants.

During the screening stage, the filter can be clogged because of the non-soluble polymers (oil-based plastics) contained in the pulp. This waste is going to landfill or incinerated. It also represents a significant loss of fibre yield.

Using a soluble coating material such as CareTips® by Lactips produces no waste. CareTips® biodegrades in water, pulp passes through the filters without sticky residues and paper is fully recovered.

Soluble coating materials (which do not leave sticky residues) are recommanded by: 4evergreen association, CPI (Confederation of Paper Industries), FEFCO Corrugated Packaging and CEPI.

Copyright ©Emmanuelle KIENER
Lactips