DuPont claims its Biomax Strong, a petrochemical additive, widens the range of uses for PLA, a corn-based biodegradable polymer made by US-based NatureWorks. The PLA supplier is part of Cargill and is one the main movers behind the biodegradable packaging trend.

Over the past two years packaging suppliers have been introducing various forms of biodegradable plastics made from a variety of plants, in the main corn, based on projections that there will be a growing demand for environmentally-friendly packaging driven by consumers and recycling regulations.

Some companies predict that the market will grow by about 20 per cent a year, as an alternative to petroleum-based packaging such as the widely-used polyethylene terephthalate (PET).

PLA has held appeal within the packaging industry because it is biodegradable when composted, helping food packagers to meet EU waste targets. However, adoption has been hindered by performance deficiencies compared to conventional plastics including brittleness and decreased durability, DuPont stated in releasing Biomax on the market.

Biomax Strong works to provide increases toughness. It also increases the transparency of the final containers made from PLA, DuPont claimed.

PLA made with the Biomax Strong additive is still compostible, DuPont stated.