By Plasteurope.com correspondent

German chemical giant BASF (Ludwigshafen; www.basf.com) said it has expanded its ecovio line of compostable biopolymers with a certified, industrial compostable grade for commercial greenhouse twines.

The company’s ecovio T 2206 can be used to manufacture black twines, which help creeper fruit and vegetable plants climb upwards in a greenhouse structure. Tests show that twines made from the new material exhibit excellent performance until the end of the crop cycle, according to BASF.

After harvesting, the twines can be collected together with the plant residues and transported to industrial composting facilities where they biodegrade.

Related: BASF’s monomers division wins global ISCC Plus, RED-cert² status

BASF said the new ecovio grade is created from a blend of BASF’s ecoflex polybutylene adipate terephthalate (PBAT) and renewable raw materials. The material can be produced on standard polypropylene machinery for twines and meets the EN 13432 European standard for processing packaging by industrial composting, it added.