CJ Biomaterials, part of South Korea’s CJ CheilJedang, has made PHACT CB0504A commercially available as an all-polyhydroxyalkanoate (PHA) material for extrusion coatings on paper.
The product has received TÜV Austria’s OK compost Home, OK compost Industrial and OK biodegradable MARINE certifications.
Certification from the Biodegradable Products Institute (BPI) is still in progress.
The resin is intended to serve as a biobased and compostable substitute for fossil-based or non-compostable coatings used in hot and cold paper cups, along with other food service and food packaging products.
PHACT CB0504A is produced through the fermentation of renewable sugars.
According to the company, it does not contain per- or polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) and does not leave persistent microplastics.
It is the first extrusion coating made with both amorphous PHA (aPHA) and semi-crystalline PHA (scPHA).
The aPHA component in the compound is CJ Biomaterials’ PHACT A1000P, which the company described as soft and flexible, contributing to reducing brittleness and facilitating processing.
The scPHA element is PHACT S1000P, a more rigid PHA resin that the company said provides the heat resistance required for food service uses.
CJ Biomaterials said the compound can be processed on equipment built for PLA extrusion coatings, which may ease adoption by converters seeking to make home compostable coated paper products.
The PHA grades used in the material are listed on the US Food and Drug Administration Inventory of Effective Food Contact Substances (FCS).
This allows use in packaging sold in the US that comes into contact with food, including rigid and flexible packaging, serviceware and related products.
CJ Biomaterials business development and product strategy director Adam Johnson said: "Our latest PHACT PHA grade has earned certification for both home and industrial composting, opening up end-of-life composting options for coated paper-based packaging to facilitate organics diversion across a range of scales from community programmes to full commercial facilities.
"Beyond compostability, it also allows coated paper-based packaging to answer the growing demand for biobased materials, while delivering the liquid, oil, and grease resistance that paper needs to be a truly functional container for beverages and foods."
