A Transparent Packaging Vinyl Made from PHA and PLA
CJ CheilJedang has begun to use a food packaging vinyl made from biodegradable polyhydroxy alcanoate (PHA) and polylactide (PLA). The company said it is the world's first case where PHA- and PLA-based biodegradable packaging vinyl is used for foods products.
CJ CheilJedang used the transparent vinyl for bundles of Happy Bean Tofu. The company applies biodegradable packaging materials to 10 types of products. For four types of products, the packaging vinyl is made from a mixture of PHA and PLA while for the remaining six, the material is made from PLA only. On the outside is each product is the phrase “Green biodegradable packaging for Earth.”
CJ CheilJedang explained that it has improved the quality of biodegradable vinyl by mixing PLA, which is high in strength but lacks flexibility, with PHA, which has a rubber-like property. The result is a packaging material that is soft but not easily torn. It also made the vinyl transparent so that consumers can see the freshness of the product. CJ CheilJedang looks to reduce the use of plastic by about 50 tons annually by using the eco-friendly materials.
CJ CheilJedang will continue to expand the use of eco-friendly biodegradable packaging materials as part of efforts to strengthen environmental, social, governance (ESG) management. It plans to establish a production facility with an annual capacity of 5,000 tons of PHA in Indonesia within this year.
PHA is the only bio-plastic material that biodegrades not only in soil but in the sea. CJ CheilJedang’s PHA acquired four types of TUV biodegradation certificates in Europe and North America in February.