New Partnership Will Create Compostable Produce Bags

Biodegradable materials maker Danimer Scientific and plastic bag manufacturer Columbia Packaging Group (CPG) recently announced a new partnership to create compostable bags, film, and roll-stock for the flexible packaging market.

Danimer will supply a home compostable film resin that CPG will convert into made-to-order bags for packaging needs spanning the produce, agriculture, bakery, and medical industries. The resin will contain Danimer’s biopolymer, Nodax polyhydroxyalkanoate (PHA) — a renewable material verified by the University of Georgia (UGA) researchers and the UGA New Materials Institute as a truly biodegradable alternative to petrochemical plastics in 2018.

The materials will enable Columbia Packaging Group to manufacture produce bags that will reliably biodegrade in home compost units and industrial composting facilities.

"CPG will be among the first companies to receive resins made with PHA from our newly opened manufacturing plant in Kentucky,” said Stephen Croskrey, CEO of Danimer Scientific. "Our new plant is the world’s first commercial production facility for PHA, and we could not ask for a better partner to integrate this biodegradable material into produce bags. Demand for plastic alternatives that have a minimal impact on the environment is continuing to rise, and PHA is a sustainable material that consumers can rely on to transport their favorite fruits and vegetables.”

The compostable produce bags are an expansion of CPG’s offering of sustainable packaging options, which include Lindamar Industries’ Compostable Bags, a line of compostable bags made of 100% renewable starch and biodegradable polymers. The company is ISO 9001-2018 compliant and certified by the Global Food Safety Initiative GFSI.

"Danimer Scientific is a true innovator in this market and CPG is fortunate to be in partnership with such an industry-leading company,” said William F. Preston, President and CEO of CPG. "The CPG-Danimer partnership is a critical component of CPG’s product strategy and sustainability initiatives, driven to create a cleaner and more environmentally responsible packaging industry. We sought out to engage with a company that wanted to lead eco-initiatives from the front line – and a partner that offered the best product in the market in terms of quality and ecological life story. We found that in Danimer.”