Novamont (Novara / Italy; www.novamont.com) has launched a grade of its “Mater-Bi” biopolymer for extrusion coating and extrusion lamination of paper, board and other substrates that is deemed suitable for composting in industrial plants. The product was developed by combining several production technologies. Compared with previous versions, the company said the new grade offers an improvement in process stability, coating thicknesses and processing speed comparable with LDPE, as well as excellent adhesion to different substrates.

The Italian biopolymer specialist said products made with the new Mater-Bi grade, which displays excellent toughness and resistance to perforation, are suitable for food-contact and microwave use and offer good resistance to oils and fats. The new product is compostable in accordance with the UNI EN 13432 standard and can be recycled along with waste paper.

Despite restrictions on industrial activity in Italy generally as a result of the ongoing coronavirus pandemic – see Plasteurope.com of 26.03.2020 – most plastics producers in the European country hardest hit have been designated as essential businesses and exempted from shutdowns. Novamont, which has a production plant at Terni as well as research laboratories in Novara and Piana di Monte Verna, said it is “fully operational” at all Italian and international locations, thanks to the support of its employees and value chain partners.