info@plaspakasia.com
Home/News/News Posts/Materials/Bio-Plastics/Clariant advances a colorful future for biodegradable plastics
Categories
Featured Posts
Bangkok – 25 February 2026: Marking the first-ever collaboration of three industry leaders, Taokaenoi Food & Marketing Public Company Limited, or TKN, a manufacturer of seaweed snacks distributed domestically and internationally, SCG Chemicals, or SCGC, a leading integrated polymer and solutions provider for sustainability, and Dow Thailand Group, or Dow, a global leader in materials science, have jointly announced the signing of a landmark Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to revolutionize the snack industry through the “Food-Grade Circular Packaging by Advanced Recycling Technology” project. This initiative aims to sustainably address plastic waste challenges under the concept of closed-loop recycling. This collaboration entails utilizing multi-layer packaging waste from the production processes of Taokaenoi, which was previously difficult to recycle. This waste will be processed using the advanced recycling technology of SCGC and converted back into circular feedstock. Following this, Dow will utilize the feedstock to produce new, clean, and food-grade plastic resins. These resins will then be safely used to manufacture food packaging for the Taokaenoi brand once again. It is anticipated that the packaging will be ready for commercial distribution by the end of 2026. Ms. Orrapat Peeradechapan, Chief Executive Officer of Taokaenoi Food & Marketing Public Company Limited, said, “Taokaenoi is committed to creating happiness for consumers through high-quality snacks, alongside prioritizing ESG (Environmental, Social, and Governance) principles by emphasizing sustainable economic, social, and environmental development. This collaboration represents a significant milestone that transforms the ‘challenge’ of hard-to-recycle packaging into an ‘opportunity’ to establish a practical circular economy. It is not merely about waste disposal, but rather about creating new value from used plastic. We do not only deliver great-tasting products, but we also aim to deliver a better world to consumers through eco-friendly packaging innovations that are clean, safe, and tangibly reduce environmental impacts. This will drive our business to grow alongside genuine sustainability.” Dr. Suracha Udomsak, Chief Operations and Innovation Officer of SCGC, said, “This collaboration reflects the capability of SCGC in utilizing advanced recycling technology to manage plastic packaging composed of multiple materials, which is difficult to recycle, and converting it back into circular feedstock. This feedstock can be used to produce new plastic resins (Certified Circular Polyolefin Resin), which possess properties and quality entirely equivalent to standard virgin plastic resins in all respects and are safe for direct food contact. As a result, the materials can be reused to manufacture food packaging for Taokaenoi. In addition, our process has achieved the globally recognized sustainability certification, ISCC PLUS (International Sustainability and Carbon Certification), throughout the entire supply chain, making SCGC the first company in ASEAN to achieve such certification. This partnership is considered a crucial step in driving SCGC’s goal of reintegrating used plastic into the circular economy system at a volume of 500,000 tons per year by 2030, through collaborations with business partners across the entire value chain.” Meanwhile, Mr. Vichan Tangkengsirisin, President of Dow Thailand, added, “As a materials science leader, Dow is proud to support this collaboration in Thailand by applying our technology to produce circular plastic resins from used flexible packaging feedstock with performance equivalent to fossil-based plastics. Dow Thailand Group’s polyethylene facility in Rayong is ISCC PLUS certified for its capability of converting advanced recycled feedstock into high quality, food grade circular resins. This initiative represents an important step toward closing the plastics loop in Thailand and advancing Dow’s sustainability ambition to transform the waste through collaboration with customers and value chain partners.” This collaboration serves as a model for the comprehensive management of used multi-layer plastic packaging. It reduces the accumulation of plastic waste in the country and decreases the consumption of new resources. This aligns with the sustainability goals of Taokaenoi, SCGC, and Dow, reinforcing the role of the business sector in tangibly driving the circular economy to build a sustainable future together.
SABIC divests assets in Petchem and thermoplastics business for US$950M
Clariant secures EU Commission approval for renewable rice bran wax additives in food-contact plastics
Esko and Videojet to showcase complete design-to-production workflow at interpack 2026
Archives
Archives
Year 2019
September 2019

Clariant advances a colorful future for biodegradable plastics

Coffee capsules made of AF-COLOR’S bio masterbatches based on Clariant’s new biodegradable pigments range. (Photo: AF-COLOR af-color.com)

Muttenz – A colorful future is in reach for biodegradable plastics. Clariant brings it even closer with the launch of a range of 25 organic pigments for biodegradable and compostable polymers which are compliant with the European Norm 13432 opening up color options and the appeal of organically recyclable packaging.

Food manufacturers and plastic film producers are stepping up the hunt for alternatives to single-use plastic solutions. However, while demand for biodegradable plastics – biodegradable and compostable polymers – is expected to surge from USD 1.1 billion in 2018 to USD 1.7 billion by 2023[1], this is just around 1% of all polymers used.

Clariant’s latest colorant introduction aims to boost the attractiveness of biodegradable plastics for brand owners and manufacturers of packaging and consumer goods. With the 25 PV Fast™ and Graphtol® pigments, masterbatch producers can take color far beyond the “earthy” natural hue associated with biodegradable polymers, like PLA, PBAT, PHA and PBS, while meeting the European Norm 13432 requirements for packaging recoverable through industrial composting and biodegradation.

Clariant’s customer AF-COLOR, who has many years’ experience in producing biodegradable masterbatches, and its sister company BIO-FED, who produces biodegradable compounds, have already implemented bio masterbatches based on the new Clariant pigments range under the brand name AF-Eco®. Dirk Schöning, Sales Director at AF-COLOR, comments: “Color plays a decisive role when it comes to certain applications where biodegradable plastics are a viable choice, such as for biodegradeable shopping or waste bags, single-use cutlery or coffee capsules. We are excited to challenge perceptions with a palette of bio masterbatches covering the full spectrum and providing high fastness, so color is not an issue.”

Barbara Philipp, Global Marketing Manager Plastics, BU Pigments at Clariant, adds: “Compostable and colorful can now go hand-in-hand for packaging, meaning manufacturers and consumers won’t have to lower their design expectations for sustainable solutions. By working closely with masterbatch producers like AF-COLOR to help them get the most out of our EN 13432 compatible pigments, we can contribute to increasing the appeal of biodegradable and industrial compostable solutions for food and beverage packaging and consumer goods, as innovation continues to improve their properties and new functionalities are introduced.”

Clariant’s pigments for the coloration of compostable polymers are no obstacle to the degradability of the polymer and are suitable for a wide variety of packaging, textile and consumer goods applications.