Greendiamz brings bioplastic to India

BAVLA - Greendiamz Biotech, manufacturer of environmentally safe plastic products, Monday said it has commissioned a plant here that produces fully biodegradable and compostable plastic material.

Company Chairman Champat Sanghvi told mediapersons that the 5,000-tonnes per annum capacity facility was set up in association with Limagrain-France at a cost of Rs.40 crore.

The bags and sheets manufactured are termed as “bioplastic” as these are 100 percent biodegradable and compostable, and are very similar to plastic in terms of strength and usage. Branded as Truegreen, these will serve as an alternative to plastic for consumer and industrial products.

The products are manufactured from Biolice, a biodegradable polymer. “It does not include any petroleum product in its manufacturing cycle,” he said.

David Pearson, marketing director of Limagrain Cereales which is supplying the raw material, said: “We are providing a product made from naturally grown raw material derived from renewable resources which complies to European norms which means that soil bacteria will decompose 95 per cent of this material to carbon, oxygen and non-tooxic bio-mass within 180 days.”

He said in India the par capita annual consumption of plastics stood at 150 bags per person and was expected to go up to 200 by 2011.

Dipak Sanghvi, director, said the the company hoped to capture five per cent marketshare in the packaging sector alone.