20 March 2007 – Canadian firm Cascades has developed what it is describing as the world’s first totally oxo-degradable polystyrene foam packaging.
Bioxo incorporates the Totally Degradable Plastic Additive (TDPA) developed by EPI based in Vancouver and is licensed to be used in direct contact with food.
Oxygen and heat, UV radiation or mechanical stress transform the Bioxo product into a fine powder, which bacteria and other micro-organisms can digest. Cascades said the product is designed to degrade within three years.
Mario Plourde, president and chief operating officer of Cascades Speciality Products Group said: “We are extremely proud to introduce this major innovation in response to wishes expressed so often by consumers and the agri-food industry.”
According to media reports, environmental groups in Canada have been quick to question Cascades’ use of the additive.
Founder and head of Canadian environmental consulting firm Greenshift, Jennifer Wright, told the Toronto Star: “I don’t dispute it will virtually disappear, but the idea that it’s out of sight, out of mind or that it’s gone or has no harm is what I dispute.”
