What is PLA compostable film

What is PLA compostable film?

The biofilms or PLA (polylactic acid), is obtained from corn, potato and other starch/sugar sources. In appearance many end users will find the biodegradable film almost identical to the old polypropylene films, polyethylene films and other packaging films. For those of you who are new to this material, the following information should help to explain the differences between these films and their compostable new replacements.

BIODEGRADATION:

All our PLA films are made from vegetable starch which are fully biodegradable and compostable. It means they break down to CO2 and water which means they can then be reused in eco system to make new plants. This process can happen in either commercial or home composting or landfill but in commercial composting the temperature will be higher and the process will be quicker. (As a guide, it takes approximately 45 days for them to decompose at a constant 58°C – similar to that found in industrial composting.) The biodegradation process uses the natural occurring bacterial/fungi to break down the films into CO2 and H2O and ecotoxic free bio-mass (compost). In a colder home composter or landfill this will require the presence of suitable bacterial/fungi to start the process and it will just take longer. The time scale will largely depend on the local conditions.

APPLICATIONS

PLA is mainly used in the packaging industry for cups, bowls, bottles and straws. Other applications include disposable bags and trash liners as well as compostable agriculture films.

PLA is also an excellent choice for biomedical and pharmaceutical applications such as drug delivery systems and sutures because PLA is biodegradable, hydrolysable and generally recognized as safe.

RENEWABLE RESOURCE:

Our PLA compostable films are made from sustainable and renewable vegetable starch which is derived from a renewable crop, as opposed to petro-chemical based plastics which are non-renewable, thereby offering a greener alternative to polypropylene and polyethylene etc. 

SHELF LIFE:

The shelf life of PLA films in ideal conditions should (in a room temperature, kept away from humidity and direct sunlight) be up to 12 months, but may well be a bit longer. The main thing to maximize the shelf life is to avoid exposure to excessive heat, moisture and light. So, realistically in normal shop use you should get many more months if not a year before any degradation could start to show. PLA biofilms are also very stable should they be splashed with water – they don’t start to degrade immediately if wiped off promptly they should come to no harm. Exposure to bright direct sunlight such as in a shop window it can result in degradation/discoloration over time, however this is only likely to be a problem in extreme conditions.

BIOFILM LIMITATIONS:

Although PLA compostable film is a quite versatile material there are also some jobs for which it is not suitable. It is brittle and marks more easily than polypropylene – so is not robust enough for heavy or sharp items. It also needs to be handled with a little more care than polypropylene while packing cards etc.

OXO-DEGRADATION:

There has recently been some confusion between PLA biodegradable and oxo-degradable plastics. Oxo-degradables are conventional plastics with additives to assist their disintegration into micro-plastic particles, thereby they are not truly a biodegradable material.