a new technology, which is developed in finland, is offering the plastic packaging industry to shift to biobased products. this move is helpful to minimize the dependency on plastics made from petroleum. a new technique has been introduced to improvise the excellence of biobased plastic packaging. the vtt technical research centre of finland has come up with this technique. the project&rsquos lead research scientist made this announcement. professor ali harlin from vtt&rsquos biotechnology and food research laboratory mentioned that, with the help of vtt&rsquos technology, biobased plastic packages will surpass traditional packaging materials not only ecologically but also in terms of quality. a technique has been developed by professor harlin that facilitates to produce the pga monomer glycolic acid from the biobased materials more proficiently than ever before. professor harlin state that pga plastic is made from sugar, and it has exceptional barrier properties. as a film, it is a renowned and most effective oxygen barrier, and it will efficiently keep food from spoiling, which happens to food if the oxygen exists inside packaging. along with the heat resistance and strength, plastic packaging also has to be airtight, greaseresistant and vaporproof. professor harlin said that adding pga into the composition of traditional plastic packaging drastically improves these qualities. the oxygen is confined out of the package when pga film is used for food packaging. this creates a modified atmosphere package. there is a protecting atmosphere inside the package and the oxygen is kept outside. hence, it cannot spoil the food. along with being ecofriendly, this new generation of biobased plastic packaging also has various superior qualities than conventional plastic packaging. professor harlin explained that pga plastic is about 20 and 30 percent stronger than pla. pla is the most known biodegradable plastic available in the market. pga plastic is able to survive temperatures 20 degrees celsius higher. professor harlin further mentioned that it breaks down more speedily than pla, but the biodegradability of pga plastic can be regulated, if necessary. he also said that sugarbased plastic food trays can be recycled, and films and trays can be again broken down into their raw material that is sugar. professor harlin mentioned that the next generation food packaging is just one step away from entering into the market. when that happens, he says, it will help to conserve oil and control waste. the quantity of oil used every year for the production of plastics equates to around five percent of the world&rsquos total oil utilization. about 40 percent of all plastics are used for packaging, which places a special responsibility on the packaging industry to trim down its dependence on oil. legislative changes and ethical consumption principles are navigating the packaging industry to the sustainable development. presently, biobased plastic counts for around one percent of worldwide plastic production. according to lifecycle analyses, carbon dioxide releases from biobased plastics can be as much as 70 percent lower than it can be from oilbased plastics, says vtt, which a stateowned research institute that is operating under finland&rsquos ministry of employment and the economy. by using the new vtt technology, the plastic packaging industry is shifting towards biobased products as well as commencing to provide the products that will let the food packaging industry become least dependent on oil. maximum use of the renewable natural resources in industrial applications lessens reliance on oil and the carbon footprint attributable to utilization. so, the shift toward biobased plastic will aid the european union to meet its objective for 2050 &ndash to lessen greenhouse gas emissions by minimum 80 percent from the level of 1990. vtt specialists, who have assessed finland&rsquos probability of achieving the 80 percent greenhouse gas emission reduction objective, say the goal is a hard one for finland, but it is likely to achieve as long as all sectors that consume or produce energy take part in it. source of information  httpensnewswire.com20121205plasticpackagingindustryshiftingtobiobasedproducts
