Sleever International has introduced a biodegradable material based on 100% renewable resources such as sugar, instead of oil. Called BioSleeve, it is made with Ingeo, which is manufactured from raw plant materials, which not only gives the advantage of not using oil, but is also said to be highly functional and to offer a wide range of end of life options. The company was at the PCD exhibition and conference in Paris last week to demonstrate this new material.
Compatible with up to 10-colour, double-sided UV gravure and flexographic printing using solvent-free low energy inks, Biosleeve is designed for use on the entire range of Powersleeve machines and Powersteam shrink applicators. It is particularly well suited for use on the latest generation of Sleever machines, which are capable of speeds up to 36,000 units/hour.
Sleever focuses on the use of biopolymers, and unlike the majority of plastics derived from petrol, Ingeo can be disposed of by chemical recycling and industrial composting. When disposed of by industrial composting, this satisfies, according to Sleever, the only realistic definition of biodegradability: ‘a material is said to be biodegradable if it is degraded by micro-organisms (bacteria, fungi etc), resulting in the formation of water and CO2 and possible a new biomass that is non-toxic for humans and the environment’.
