Test runs at SDI successfully concluded: alesco presents the BIOSHRINK compostable shrink film, manufactured from renewable raw materials

Langerwehe, Germany, September 2009. alesco (alesco.net) will be presenting a compostable shrink wrap film manufactured from renewable raw materials at drinktec (Hall A2, Stand 544) in Munich, Germany – which will make it one of the first packaging film manufacturers in the world to offer such a product. The film has been named BIOSHRINK and will initially be available for 6 x 0.5 litre PET and PLA drinks containers, with additional sizes to follow. The film has already been successfully tested by the soft drinks bottler SDI. As with all other compostable biofilms produced by alesco, the new bio shrink film will be produced carbon neutrally and with the exclusive use of green electricity, and it will be printed with water colours upon customer request for impressive advertising.

The development of compostable shrink film from renewable raw materials has been one of the great challenges that processors of plastics have faced in recent years. “When we introduced our first alesco biofilm two years ago, we didn’t think it would be possible to present a ready-for-market compostable shrink film within such a short space of time,” comments a proud alesco Managing Director Philipp Depiereux. The key issue was developing a formula that allowed for reliable shrinking as well as surface properties for optimal gliding behaviour. The development engineers at alesco successfully solved this issue.

SDI, a packager of soft drinks, is a good reference customer and was extremely impressed by the quality of the film. “The behaviour of the film in the packaging machines was excellent and it is definitely ready for the market,” states Daniel Gebels, purchasing manager at SDI in Erftstadt, Germany. The beverages bottler, which is among the top 10 in the sector in Germany, has already entered discussions with interested customers and is thus planning to introduce the new alesco BIOSHRINK film to the market and use it for future packaging. Gebels explains why the refreshments specialist has such faith in alesco and its products: “We use alesco products because they are environmentally friendly, and because alesco offers excellent service with a focus on the best possible quality.”
A high quality surface on the new bio shrink film was another prerequisite for an environmentally friendly, solvent-free printing process. Such a surface makes upon customer request the exclusive use of water-based colours possible in the creation of a glossy image that provides impressive advertising effects. Water colours decrease the overall ecological impact of the new BIOSHRINK film as well.

As with all other biofilms, the new BIOSHRINK film will be produced by alesco carbon neutrally at no extra cost. To ensure carbon neutrality, alesco will acquire emission reduction certificates that correspond to the volume of greenhouse gases released during production. The proceeds from the certificates will then be invested in a project that aims to generate electricity in India from renewable energy sources.

Environmental protection already has a long tradition at alesco. The range of initiatives already implemented includes the installation and use of post-combustion systems for cleaning steams that contain traces of solvents, regranulation units for the re-use of production waste and the development of new types of film in order to minimise the use of raw materials. “With this background, it was a logical next step to expand our range of biofilms with the addition of our new bio shrink film BIOSHRINK,” says Depiereux.

alesco GmbH & Co. KG is one of the most renowned and well-established processors of plastics in Germany. At its two production facilities, in Langerwehe and Alsdorf in Germany, 210 staff extrude, tailor and print film products for consumer and industrial applications. Approximately 45,000 tonnes of plastics are converted annually to flexible film packaging. One of the most important subjects in this process for the four directors, Gunter Depiereux, Philipp Depiereux, Karl Heinz Thielen and Heinz Mundt, is sustainability: new environmentally friendly products, in particular those made from sustainable raw materials, are as important here as the promotion of environmental protection by means of resource-conserving manufacturing processes and the assumption of social responsibilities. Since the beginning of 2009, all the company’s products can also be obtained with certified carbon neutral production.

alesco GmbH & Co. KG
DRESS YOUR BRANDS
Schönthaler Str. 55-59
D-52379 Langerwehe
Tel.: +49 (0) 2423 402-0
Fax: +49 (0) 2423 402-102
E-Mail: info@alesco.net

Media contact:
wortsuchttext | Agency for modern communication
Christian Dietz
Tel.: +49 (0) 2421 223447-2
Fax: +49 (0) 2421 223447-7
E-mail: chd @ wortsuchttext.de
Internet: http://presse.alesco.net

This release was published on openPR.