What Does “Green” Mean To You?

February 2012

It Can Be Confusing……

Sustainability GoalsBPA Free

Consumer Demands

Biomaterial

Renewable

Compostable

Regulatory Requirements

Phthalate Free

Recycled Content

Recyclable

Regrind?

Post-industrial

Post-consumer

Thinner Wall?

Bringing Clarity to Green

Seeking Solutions:– Product Oriented– Sustainability Driven

“Green” is not universal. It does not mean the same thing to everyone

GREEN Terminology • Biodegradable: the degradation results from the action of neutral micro-

organisms such bacteria, fungi and algae. Biodegradable products can include toxins. For example, human and animal wastes are biodegradable and may contain traces of toxins like heavy metals and pesticides.

• Degradable: Petroleum-based, break down through chemical reactions rather than the activity of microorganisms

• Compostable: degrades by biological processes during composting to yield CO2, water, inorganic compounds and biomass at a rate consistent with other known compostable materials and leaves no visible, distinguishable or toxic residues.

• Industrial composting: Composting at a municipal or for-profit facility where heat and humidity are controlled during the compost cycle. Industrial composting meets ASTM D6400 standards. Under aerobic compost conditions at >55˚C, the structure breaks down within12-16 weeks. Under anaerobic conditions (e.g. landfill), in contrast, no significant decomposition takes place.

GREEN Terminology• Oxo degradable: Some companies have been claiming that they have created an

additive that can be added to traditional plastics to make them biodegradable. Although this allows the plastic to return to the environment, these products are not biodegradable, typically only fragmentation occurs.

• Renewable Material: Material derived from a source that can be replaced or regenerated when consumed. For example, plastic made from plants.

• Recycled Content: Portion of a product's material (expressed usually as a percentage of its total material content) recovered from pre- or post-consumer waste. There is no standard for what percentage qualified for recycled content.

• Life Cycle Assessment (LCA): A life cycle assessment is the investigation and valuation of the environmental impacts of a given product or service over it’s entire life cycle.

Certification Biodegradable-Compostable: ASTM D 6400- BPI compliance• Biobased Content: ASTM D 6866-04a - (Radio-Carbon process)• GMO Analysis: P.C.R.Q.• FDA Compliance• BPI seal of compostability• Biodegradable Products Institute (www.bpiworld.org)• European Bioplastics Association (www.european-bioplastics.org)• Specifications: ASTM 6400 D99 and ASTM 6868• American Society for Testing and Materials - worldwide source for

technical standards

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Nexeo’s Green Products

• Compostable resins:– Natureworks - Ingeo PLA*– Cereplast PLA*

• Renewable resins:– Eastman Tenite Cellulosics*– Cereplast Hybrid Resins*

• Recycled content resins:– BASF Nypel* Recycled Nylon 6– BASF Petra* Recycled PET Polyester– SABIC Innovative Plastics PC, PC/ABS, ABS, PBT– Georgia Gulf rigid injection and extrusion grades– RheTech Rhelon* Nylon 6 & 66

Health-conscious Choices

• BPA-free• Phthalate-free• Halogen-free

Nexeo Green Program Support

• Application Development Engineers – Material Selection

• Technical Reps – Run it correctly and efficiently.

• Sales Reps – Pricing/logistics support

Prop

ertie

s

Price

Green products

existing application

Tolerance for green solution

1-3 years ago

Prop

ertie

s

Price

Green products

existing application

Tolerance for green solution

1-3 years from now

• Harmonic convergence is coming…– Demand surge – Economic viability of green products– Performance properties of green products

Now is the time to take leadership position

Market Trends

The Future of Plastics• The bioplastics industry is an emerging industry which has been around

for about 20 years.• Currently, bioplastics account for only 0.1% of all plastics produced• The growth rate for bioplastics is projected at over 20% per year.• Bioplastics were primarily used in the food industry but are now being

utilized in a variety of new industries, including automotive, consumer goods, and fashion & beauty.

Being Ready

• The competition is moving forward towards a Green future.• Honda -100% of all produced automobiles will contain at least 25% corn

based resins by 2013.• Nestle Corp – Is working to have all of there products packaged in a

renewable resource in the near future. • This is HUGE!!

Future Applications • Candle Jars , (Natural FR)• Dental Tools that need FDA Compliance• Name Tags for Retail stores• Deli Lids and Bowls • Seasoning container lids• Water bottles• Fuse Box (Automotive)• Back up sensor (Automotive)