The Technology
The Problem
There is a growing demand for environmentally friendly sustainable plastics as an alternative to unsustainable petrochemical derived plastics. Bio-plastics are those plastics manufactured from "natural" sources, for example plant material such as corn.
Existing bio-plastics are an alternative to petrochemical plastics, but they have their problems. These bio-plastics require complex manufacturing processes, are expensive to produce and are capital intensive. Consumers have been slow to adopt these premium priced bio-plastics and there is an acknowledgement that many of these bio-plastics do not break down in commercial landfills, and in some cases contaminate the plastic recycling streams.
The processes and products under development at Novatein offer compelling value propositions for three key areas:
The Solution
Novatein's breakthrough process for manufacturing commercially useful plastic from animal protein sources offers a sustainable alternative to petroleum based resins.
Unlike plant based bio-plastics, Novatein's environmentally friendly bio-resin does not use food or food additive ingredients in its process. Novatein's bio-resin can be profitably produced to compete with petrochemical derived plastic resins and bio-plastic resins. Novatein is also able to offer price stability for its resin relative to petrochemical resins which are increasingly volatile and subject to significant fluctuations depending on the price of oil.
Prior to the breakthrough of the Novatein process, the scientific community had failed to produce commercially viable plastic from animal protein sources. An advisory group of industry and market experts has been assembled to help guide the company.
The processes and products under development at Novatein offer compelling value propositions for three key areas:
The Plastics Industry
- Novatein's bio-resin has mechanical properties comparable to commodity plastic low density polyethylene (LDPE).
- Cost-competitiveness with other bio-plastics and petrochemical-derived plastics.
- Sustainable feedstock for plastic production compared with traditional petrochemical sources.
- Underpins a brand - Novatein's technologies are green, sustainable and eco-friendly.
- Competative advantage.
The Consumer
- Compostable plastic products from sustainable feedstock.
- Ease of disposal. Overcomes consumer resistance at using and disposing of plastic products.
- Cost-competitiveness with other bio-plastics and petrochemical-derived plastics.
The Environment
- A sustainable feedstock source, compared with traditional petrochemical-derived products.
- Utilization of existing waste stream; no longer requiring diverted primary production (e.g. corn) and/or diverted primary product from other valuable applications (e.g. food), when compared with other crop-based bio-plastic feedstocks.
- Biodegradable thermo-set and thermoplastic options.