according to beef central article published last week, coles supermarkets, which is the first major australian retailer, will use biodegradable &lsquogreen&rsquo tray for packing some of its fresh beef items such as mince. plantic technologies, which is australian packaging manufacturer, will supple the plantic ecoplastic trays products to coles. both of the companies have signed commercial supply agreement. coles is expecting to use about 95 million of the trays in the year of 2012, and the numbers are expected to rise in coming years. the deal exemplifies a major step forward for plantic technologies that will multiply its manufacturing potential at its melbourne factory. the expanded plantic facility was recently opened by greg combet, federal minister for industry, innovation and climate change. this expanded facility will provide ecoplastic. this is a cost effective and advance plastic, which comes with ultrahigh barrier properties. it is aimed at improvising the carbon footprint of perishable food packaging. this completely biodegradable material is made up of corn starch derivatives with the help of about 80 percent renewable material. combet said that this occasion was a landmark for green business innovation. he further added that plantic technologies was a result of government aided research project in 2000. this project encouraged the clean technology industry for collectively find an alternative solution for food packaging. according to him, the commercialization of such research had led to inventive companies like plantic technologies. allister watson, who is coles&rsquo general manager of meat, delicatessen and dairy, said that the partnership was another paradigm of coles&rsquo support for inventive australian manufacturers. watson said that working with plantic is very delightful. it is also great to see that the partnership is supporting plantic&rsquos expansion in the export market, he further added. the ecoplastic trays are being used for many prepacked products such as beef, lamb, veal, and sausage, which are available in coles supermarkets. it expects about 95 million of the trays to bring for their customers in 2012. watson further added that ecoplastic tray is a quality product from plantic, which has real environmental and business benefits. to increase the use of the technology across the meat range, coles will keep looking for various opportunities. according to brendan morris, plantic chief executive officer, the environmental effect of coles switching to ecoplastic, would be significant. as per the life cycle assessment of plantic, the initiative of coles adopting the eco friendly trays will save about 13 million kwh of energy. the saved energy is sufficient for powering about 2000 australian homes. this initiative will also reduce greenhouse gas emissions by about 5000 tones that are equivalent to planting about 750,000 trees, he further added. ecoplastic is designed to fulfil the growing world requirement for a more sustainable attitude to plastics technology, which is founded on a content of renewable material that will trim down the carbon emission and perform with exceptional characteristics. morris said that the benefits of ecoplastic are convincing, and it is the foremost packaging product that contains up to 80pc renewable content. it uses 25pc less energy than conventional polymers and delivers ultrahigh barrier performance. ecoplastic does not require any investment in the new packaging or processing technology. it&rsquos an easy &lsquodropin replacement&rsquo which is meant for series of traditional plastics that are used in the ultrahigh barrier packaging. morris said that the innovative manufacturing facility will allow plantic to stepup production considerably and fulfil the increasing demand from customers. he further added that, in today&rsquos carbonconscious world, they are well positioned to fulfil the market demand for excellent packaging, which is cost effective and environment friendly than conventional products. plantic technologies and coles supermarkets are searching for the further domestic and international collaborations because they will continue to raise awareness about the advantages of ecoplastic, morris said. this new facility will allow them to fulfil the demand as they will meet the increasing necessities of their customers. source of information httpwww.beefcentral.compnewsarticle1744
