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What is Solubility ?

Solubility is the property of a solid, liquid or gaseous substance (solute) to dissolve in a solid, liquid or gaseous media (solvent). The solubility depends on the physical and chemical properties of the solute and solvent, on temperature, pressure and presence of other chemicals of the solution. It is measured as the saturation concentration. When adding more solute does not increase the concentration of the solution it will begin to precipitate the excess amount of solute.

Example of salt in water :

When a salt such as sodium chloride (table salt) dissolves in water, its ionic lattice is pulled apart so that the individual sodium and chloride ions go into solution:

If we continue adding salt to the solution, the undissolved solid in contact with water will come into equilibrium with the ions it has released. At this point the solution is said to be saturated and the salt will start to precipitate.

The solubility will increase if we increase the temperature (or decrease the pressure). For instance, the salt will precipitate earlier if we dissolve it in cold water.

In all this process, the salt has always been there. We could force its precipitation and recover the salt in solid phase. It has not been transformed into other constituents; it is still salt either in solid state or in soluble structure

Soluble Polymers

We could extend this example to soluble polymers in general: the polymer is dissolved in water but the chemical structure of the material is still there. This could imply the persistence of this plastic in fresh and marine water and the environments and bring or not a pollution according to the chemical nature of the polymer.

What is Biodegradability ?

Plastic biodegradation is the microbial conversion of all its organic constituents to carbon dioxide, microbial biomass, water and mineral salts (oxic conditions), or to carbon dioxide, methane, water, new microbial biomass and mineral salts (anoxic conditions).[1]

The term ‘biodegradable’ is a very wide concept. It does not imply that the material will biodegrade anywhere, or in a certain period of time. A plastic material could biodegrade in 1 million years and still, it could be called biodegradable. The rate at which a plastic item biodegrades depends on the material and also, on the conditions in the environment where it ends up.

Plastic designed to biodegrade in industrial composting facilities may not do so as effectively in the natural environment, whether in the soil, freshwater, or the sea.

Plastic items can only be considered ‘biodegradable’ if they can be fully broken down by microorganisms and transformed into organic constituents. Plastic items that only break down into smaller pieces (like microplastics) are not an improvement over conventional plastic. In fact, the lack of physical visibility could transform them into extremely dangerous materials. These type of materials are advertised as being ‘oxo-degradable‘ and are made from conventional plastics and mixed with additives in order to mimic biodegradation. These products to not comply with the standards for compostability and are not considered biodegradable or bioplastics.[2]

Labelling plastic items as ‘biodegradable’, without explaining what conditions are needed for them to biodegrade, causes confusion among consumers and other users. It could lead to contamination of waste streams and increased pollution or littering. Clear and accurate labelling is needed so that consumers can be confident of what to expect from plastic items, and how to properly use and dispose of them.

There is currently no EU law in place applying to bio-based, biodegradable and compostable plastics in a comprehensive manner. Therefore, in the European Green Deal and new circular economy action plan, the European Commission announced a policy framework on the sourcing, labelling and use of bio-based plastics, and the use of biodegradable and compostable plastics. The Commission will assess where the use of bio-based feedstock leads to genuine environmental benefits, and not only reduces the use of fossil resources. The Commission will also assess where using biodegradable and compostable plastics can be beneficial to the environment, and the criteria for these uses. [3]

Standards on biodegradable polymers

As mentioned, it is misleading to claim biodegradability without any standard specification. If a material or product is advertised as biodegradable, further information about the timeframe, the level of biodegradation, and the required surrounding conditions should be provided, too.

Standard references are important to understand under what conditions the polymer is going to biodegrade, Table 1 shows the standards with specific conditions for the different environments in which a plastic could be biodegraded:

Soluble VS Biodegradable

Copyright © Emmanuelle KIENER

As a conclusion, the difference between solubility and biodegradability relies in the fact that a soluble material will just dissolve in the solvent (mainly water), without changing its constituents to organic ones. However, a biodegradable material will be transformed by microorganisms to organic elements. The biodegradability of a material will depend on the surrounding conditions, for this reason, when biodegradability is claimed it is important to mention under what conditions a material will biodegrade.

LACTIPS material

Even though some polymers claim to be soluble in water, its biodegradability is not confirmed by any means. On the contrary, Lactips is a plastic free material according to REACH regulation and CareTips 300A has been validated to be 100% biobased (ISO-16620-2;2015). It is a soluble polymer, even in cold water. But also, its biodegradability has been tested:

• In fresh water according to OK BIODEGRADABLE WATER conformity mark by TÜV Austria.
• In Home composting environment according to OK COMPOST HOME by TÜV Austria.
• In marine environment, CareTips 300B was tested with a biodegradation test based on ASTM D6691 (2017). Also, its disintegration was tested (95 μm) and after an incubation period in natural seawater 100% complete disintegration was obtained. Finally, CareTips 300B fulfilled all requirements on heavy metals and fluorine as stipulated by EN 13432 (2000). Moreover, also the requirement on cobalt according to table II of the Trade Memorandum T-4-93 was met.

Lactips itself is a great solution for applications where biodegradability or compostability is needed. But also, Lactips can be blended with other materials to accelerate biodegradability in different environments.

[1] SAPEA. Biodegradability of plastics in the open environment

[2] European Bioplastics Association

[3] European Commission

Press release

Lactips is innovating for sustainable packaging

• Industrial and commercial partnership with Plastiques Venthenat to replace polluting plastics for consumer and commercial use
• Soluble and printable temporary labels
• Scented laundry pearls working with Givaudan for a matrix that will be fully biodegradable in water
• Compostable golf tees to protect the greens

Saint-Jean-Bonnefonds, June 3, 2021 – Lactips, the French company specialized in producing a soluble plastic with zero environmental trace, has developed new product applications to continue to address the issue of polluting plastics on multiple levels. Based on work by Lactips’ R&D and Project teams, these eco-solutions address different markets with a view to rapidly replacing their previous plastic materials. The manufacturing and marketing of the new products are moving forward in partnership with major players for these applications so that they can effectively reach their end markets, rapidly contributing to help stop the impact of plastic pollution on the environment.

Lactips and Plastiques Venthenat launch new consumer and commercial applications 

To further strengthen and extend its dedicated range of plastics for water-soluble packaging, Lactips has set up a partnership with Plastiques Venthenat, a French industrial firm specialized for over 40 years in the extrusion of highly technical plastic films, to transform its plastic pellets, based on a natural raw material, with multiple properties, into rolls of films, without any impact on the environment, for distribution to its clients.
Marketed under the BIOCYTER® brand (aiming to replace polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) films), Plastiques Venthenat is directly addressing the single-dose monolayer packaging and detergent markets and laundry services, particularly in the medical sector (thanks to the applications for water-soluble ties and bags).
“I am delighted with the partnership agreement signed with Lactips, enabling us to combine our respective areas of know-how to industrially master the extrusion of our BIOCYTER® film based on the Lactips resin. The qualities of this biosourced, water-soluble and biodegradable film are fully aligned with the growing demand among our clients for environmentally-responsible packaging to replace many traditional plastic films”, confirms Michel Rauturier, CEO of Plastiques Venthenat.

Thanks to this industrial partnership, new applications have been able to be developed:

• Oopya, an ecological disinfectants manufacturer, is removing plastic from the packaging for its single-dose salt sticks thanks to Lactips

Focused on detergents, Oopya has developed an effective, safe and ecological cleaning solution, produced using water, salt contained in a natural, water-soluble plastic packaging, and electricity.
This innovation aims to reduce the use of chemical products and their plastic packaging. It was therefore a natural choice for Oopya to use the water-soluble films made with Lactips pellets to create the packaging for its “salt sticks”, replacing the previous generations of packaging. The products are sold in chains of organic stores or directly to consumers online.

• Soluble and printable temporary labels

Thanks to its “printable” property, the Lactips material, transformed into a film, makes it possible to create soluble temporary labels. Without any prior treatment, it is aligned with an innovative and ecological approach for temporary labels to provide information, promote or decorate a wide range of products.
The configurations for manufacturers and environmental tests are still being validated, with this new application expected to be launched in 2021.

Lactips links up with Givaudan for scented linen

Developed with a world-leading fragrance company, the “CareTips Natural Pearls^TM” are scented pearls that combine Lactips pellets with Givaudan fragrances. They illustrate both partners’ capacity for innovation and co-creation with a view to offering responsible products. Traditionally inserted in PVA or PEG (Polyethylene Glycol) based products, the laundry fragrances will now be packaged in Lactips’ 100% natural and plastic-free carrier material. Soon distributed directly to consumers and in organic store chains, the new scented pearls are placed directly in the washing machine drum, where they dissolve during the washing process, leaving a fresh and delicate fragrance on the clothes even after they have dried.

Transforming plastic in all its forms

Where Lactips tees biodegrade, they lead to healthier grass on the greens.
With its proprietary injectors and molds, Lactips has designed a plastic-free, compostable golf tee that can rapidly biodegrade in nature and the aquatic environment, offering an alternative to plastic, metal, wood or bamboo tees, which are all too often lost or left on golf courses.
In addition to zero ecological and visual impacts, the Lactips golf tees do not cause any damage to equipment used to maintain greens (mower blades and tires can be damaged by conventional tees). The grass even grows greener where the tees have biodegraded.

“Thanks to the partnerships set up and our capacity for innovation, led by our R&D team, Lactips is once again proving that its unique material can replace existing plastics by providing sustainable solutions that can easily be integrated by manufacturers and consumers, and are good for the planet. The various developments underway are focused on packaging solutions, as well as improving the recyclability of plastics for industrial clients”, explains Marion Vincent, Innovation Marketing Manager at Lactips. “Our partnership with Plastiques Venthenat will enable Lactips to sustainably position itself on the film sector with a structural model that will be duplicated across the other technical platforms”, concludes Pascal Chabance, Head of Business Development and Sales at Lactips.

About Lactips

Because plastic lasts for hundreds of years in our oceans, causing a major pollution issue, Lactips is manufacturing the first plastic with zero environmental impact, thanks to a pioneering technology enabling it to be produced using a natural raw material. Aligned with sustainable development challenges in the packaging sector and the needs of manufacturers, Lactips pellets are used to produce 100% natural packaging for detergent products. This new material is also suitable for food products.

Created in 2014 by Marie-Hélène Gramatikoff, plastics engineer and business strategy specialist, and Frédéric Prochazka, PhD, lecturer-researcher at Saint-Etienne University, Lactips employs 60 people today and is working to deploy a 2,500 sq.m new production site to further increase its annual capacity to over 3,000 tons.

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

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As a signatory member of the United Nations Global Compact, Lactips joins the world’s largest voluntary corporate citizenship and sustainability initiative, which was established in 2000 and now has over 14,000 participants and stakeholders from more than 161 countries.

Why Lactips is involved in ?

This approach reflects the vision developed since the Lactips’ inception and reinforces the idea that responsible operation of the economy is part of the DNA of Lactips, which strives to develop new ecological packaging solutions and to support the transformation of industries with manufacturing processes adapted to their production lines.

Marie-Hélène Gramatikoff, CEO and co-founder of Lactips said : “This supports our vision, built around a vision of an economy that is more respectful of the environment and human health. Our goal is to develop the planet’s greenest plastic.  More than ever, our industries need new solutions to reduce the environmental impact of plastics. Since our company’s inception, we believe that operating responsibly is part of our identity. We want to go further, demonstrating that our disruptive material can be part of the solution, acting responsibly, with our people, and with a sustainable product portfolio management.”

 

What is the UN Global Compact ?

The United Nations Global Compact is leading global-local impact initiatives to embed SDG-aligned practices deep into business operations and across the value chain to accelerate progress and impact for the 2030 Agenda.

Available to participating companies of the UN Global Compact, Global Impact Initiatives are run in close collaboration with Global Compact Local Networks and are designed with a view to generating behavior change across a large number of companies at the local level – achieving maximum impact and scale.

Learn more about the UN Global Compact

Lactips, as part of its sustainable strategy, has become member of The European Plastics Pact. The Pact is a frontrunner initiative, bringing together leading countries and private organisations from the entire plastics value chain and from across the European Economic Area.

What is the European Plastics Pact?

The European Plastics Pact has set ambitious common targets and aims to encourage cross border connection, cooperation, innovation and harmonisation at the European level, in order to bring a circular economy for plastic in Europe.

The Plastics Pact network was created as part of the New Plastics Economy, an Ellen MacArthur Foundation initiative. It is a unique platform that brings together businesses, governments, innovators, NGOs, and citizens on a national or regional level to work towards ambitious targets and build a plastics system that works.

What are the ambitions of the European Plastics Pact?

To tackle plastics waste and pollution at the source, we need to fundamentally rethink the way we produce, use and reuse plastics. No single organisation or individual can do this on its own. It requires a systemic shift, involving collective action by businesses from across the plastics value chain, governments, and civil society.

For plastic packaging, the New Plastics Economy Global Commitment, led by the Ellen MacArthur Foundation in collaboration with the UN Environment Programme (UNEP), has united more than 400 organisations from across the global plastics packaging value chain behind a common vision of a circular economy for plastics.

Participants of the European Plastics Pact commit themselves by 2025 to:

• Reusability and recyclability: Design all plastic packaging and single-use plastic products placed on the market to be reusable where possible and in any case recyclable by 2025;
• Responsible use of plastics: Move towards a more responsible use of plastic packaging and single-use plastic products, aiming to reduce virgin plastic products and packaging by at least 20% (by weight) by 2025, with half of this reduction coming from an absolute reduction in plastics;
• Collection, sorting and recycling: Increase the collection, sorting and recycling capacity by at least 25 percentage points by 2025 and reach a level that corresponds to market demand for recycled plastics;
• Use of recycled plastics: Increase the use of recycled plastics in new products and packaging by 2025, with plastics using companies achieving an average of at least 30% recycled plastics (by weight) in their product and packaging range.

How Lactips is involved in?

Lactips develops, produces, and sells the only plastic-free polymer. As a leading provider of bioplastic industrial solutions, Lactips can genuinely contribute to the achievement of the European Plastics Pacts goals. Lactips innovative, high-quality, 100% bio-based, compostable and biodegradable material is an effective and eco-friendly alternative to many traditional plastics. Lactips solutions also improve the recyclability of numerous packaging.

Lactips will participate in the working groups and help improve solutions to quickly progress with the use of responsible packaging and recyclability of plastics to support the transformation of the European market and to provide an answer to present and future environmental challenges faced by industries.

Learn more about the European Plastics Pact