Category: blog

The Addiplast Group is proud to announce its collaboration with Floreon, with whom it is now working hand in hand to transform and shape the plastics industry of tomorrow into a more sustainable industry.

Introducing Floreon

Floreon is a recognized and award-winning company in the field of sustainable materials technology. Floreon’s unique patented formulations use plant-based plastic (PLA) and improve its performance, making it up to ten times stronger than conventional PLA. Floreon’s high performance allows it to compete with traditional fossil-based plastics while offering a carbon footprint up to six times lower than ABS (Acrylonitrile Butadiene Styrene), for example. Thanks to the skills and experience gained through ten years of research and development, Floreon has expanded the potential of PLA beyond the manufacture of single-use products to include sustainable applications. In addition, as Floreon’s materials come from renewable resources, they are suitable for both composting and recycling, contributing to the circular economy.

Corinna Jacobs (Floreon Sales Manager)

 

Presentation of the Addiplast Group R&D department

ADDIPLAST GROUP is a major European player in the compounding of technical plastics, with three production sites in France and a production capacity of 40,000 tons/year. It is a family-owned company that embodies values and principles such as innovation, agility, and technological development.

« Recycled, bio-based, biodegradable », are frequently used terms that reflect the growing awareness of environmental issues in the plastics industry. FLOREON is an organization that aims to shape the future of plastics processing: its expertise in polylactic acid (PLA) has enabled it to develop several products for a wide range of markets.

In 2019, when the partnership between the ADDIPLAST Group and FLOREON began, the ADDISCIENCE® (editor’s note: the ADDIPLAST GROUP’s R&D center) was very receptive and enthusiastic about the idea of working together and developing PLA. ADDISCIENCE®’s extrusion and characterization equipment and its experience in thermoplastic compounding* were put at FLOREON’s disposal, with everyone aware that they were helping to transform the future of plastics by creating more environmentally friendly products. FLOREON’s strength also lies in its ability to inspire everyone to get involved. It is therefore with undisguised enthusiasm that ADDISCIENCE® will continue to move forward with FLOREON to research and develop the plastics of tomorrow.

*Compounding definition: ……

Quentin Boulard (Head of Product Development and Formulation, Addiplast Group)

 

Presentation of the Addiplast Group sales department

ADDIPLAST GROUP offers 100% renewable solutions. Single material, resistance, durability, performance, and antimicrobial properties are now possible using this patented sustainable materials technology.

The approach covers all markets and transformation processes (injection molding, extrusion blow molding, sheet extrusion, biaxially oriented films, calendering). We offer industrial composting and domestic composting materials. These products are marketed under the  ADDIBIO Renew® range.

For example, the percentage of consumers who expect coffee capsule brands to take environmental responsibility is growing rapidly. We have a solution for coffee capsule injection molding that is biocompostable through natural composting and home composting, offering high performance in terms of oxygen and vapor barrier, high temperature resistance, and high pressure resistance for both thin and thick walls.

Customers are very enthusiastic about developing their own biocompostable products for industrial and/or home composting.

Each brand and each company has its own strategy regarding the environmental approach of its products. The R&D, sales, and marketing teams at the ADDIPLAST group are available every day to design the materials of tomorrow that are best suited to each strategy.

Edouard Chantegraille (Export Sales Manager, Addiplast group)

 

The specialist in technical polymers for the plastics industry, based in Haute-Loire, is taking over the business of the Japanese company Toyo Ink Europe Speciality Chemicals, located in the Oise region.

The European specialist in the formulation and manufacture of technical polymers for the plastics industry, Addiplast Group, is taking over Toyo Ink Europe Speciality Chemicals in Villers-Saint-Paul (Oise) on 1 April. This is a colouring unit for plastics, created in 2008 by the Japanese listed group Toyo Ink, which also produces high performance pigments for LCD screens and industrial machines in Seine-Maritime.

The deal brings 33 employees and €12 million in additional sales to the family-owned company from Auvergne, which generated €33 million in its last financial year (ending March 2020) and has a workforce of over 140. It is aiming for 50 million euros by 2023.

New markets for Addiplast Group

This site in Hauts-de-France, renamed “Addicolor”, is in addition to those already operating in Saint-Pal-de-Mons and Sainte-Sigolène, in Haute-Loire, and to its research centre with around ten engineers and colour technicians. It brings its capacity to 40,000 tons and provides it with know-how in the formulation of colour additives. Denis Chantegraille, President of Addiplast Group, explains that the operation strengthens its position as European leader in technical specialty compounds and allows it to position itself on new markets, such as technical surface protection film and PET food packaging.

The company specialises in the formulation, manufacture, fireproofing and colouring of polypropylene, polycarbonate and polyamide compounds used in plastic injection moulding in the form of granules, and targets the automotive, electrical engineering, electronics, luxury cosmetics, healthcare and chemical markets. In product supply or service provision.

Recycled or bio-based material

“In recent years, we have been developing ingredients based on recycled materials, with a limited carbon footprint or biosourced, notably from wood fibre, miscanthus or castor oil,” adds the head of Addiplast Group, who is also in the process of buying back, with his family shareholders, the 14% of the company’s capital that has been held since 2015 by BPIFRANCE and Sofimac Partners.

Article written by Denis Meynard – Les Echos and translated by Addiplast Group.

WEIGHT REDUCTION, NATURAL FIBERS, LOCAL PRODUCTION, NO FOOD RESOURCES, LOWER CARBON FOOTPRINT, RECYCLING

Addiplast Group, founded in 1986, now, has 2 production sites: Addiplast & Addikem in Saint Pal de Mons in France, equipped with twin-screw extruders and Buss co-mixers. Both sites are certified IATF 16949 and ISO 14001 and have a production capacity of 30 000T.

The group has been developing and manufacturing natural fibers reinforced compounds on an industrial scale for more than 10 years. Today, the Addibio Renew® range meets the most demanding specifications for the automotive, cosmetics, construction, packaging and consumer goods markets. This range complements its traditional lines of products Addilene® (polyolefins), Addinyl® (polyamides), Additer® (styrenics and polyesters), Addiflam® (flame retardant), Additec® (ESD, semi-conductor), Addiperf® (masterbatches for engineering plastics) and Addibatch® (masterbatches for polyolefins)

Most of the European natural fibers that do not compete with human and animal food resources have been characterized at the Addiscience research center. Each type of used fiber makes it possible to meet the needs expressed by customers for the production of appearance and structural parts (miscanthus, wood fibers, vine tendrils, flax, reed, cellulose, etc).

The used polymer matrices are dictated by the characteristics and intended uses of the plastic part. This diagram summarizes the range of possibilities:

That includes polyolefins (PE, PP), biopolymers such as PA11, PA10-10, PLA, PHA, PBAT and others.

Addiplast Group is fully committed to the circular economy by now offering solutions integrating “PCR”, Post-Consumer Recycled in the formulation of its natural fiber compounds. The compound developed this way makes it possible to meet the expectations of industrialists, who are themselves guided by the expectations of end consumers. Based on the market requirements, the natural fibers will have to be visible or not visible, biodegradable or sustainable materials.

A few application examples:

Addibio Renew® GHI 52028 colored for the cosmetics market

It is a PP NF20 compound where pastel colors are possible. It meets the American FDA and European food standards. It meets the California 65 regulation. This compound is therefore particularly intended for primary packaging.

Addibio Renew® GEI 52009 dyed in the mass for the automotive market

For 5 years this grade has been in series production for the manufacture of interior cabinetwork parts in vehicles. VOC, Fogging, Odor, scratch resistance etc… are the essential prerequisites in the automotive industry to claim to be used instead of the so-called “traditional” mineral filled copolymer polypropylene compounds (P/E MD10, 15 or 20). This reference meets these requirements. The other challenge was to formulate this compound in such a way that it could be injected into the same tooling as mineral filled PP.

Structural material Addibio Renew GJI53116

Finally, the mass gain is important for this industry.

The use of natural fibers fully contributes to this objective. This is why the Addibio Renew® GJI 53116 black standard reference was developed this time for structural parts. Up to 20% lighter than PPMD40 or PPGF20 is possible.

Each brand, each company has its own strategy regarding the environmental approach of its products. The Addiplast Group’s R&D, sales and marketing teams are listening daily to design the materials of tomorrow that are best suited to each strategy.