Member - Biofibre GmbH

The Biofibre® granulate is a compound of natural fibers and a biopolymer matrix. The material consists of a matrix of bio polymers and natural fibers. In the manufacturing process, the natural fiber is compounded with the matrix component and necessary additives. Granulates are formed as starting material for further processing. Our natural fiber-reinforced CO2 saving biomaterials represent an attractive offer for the sustainable manufacturing industry. The starting materials used for Biofibre® are renewable raw materials, preferably from organic farming. All materials used in Biofibre® are not in competition with food and / or animal feed production. The granulate is a compound of natural fibers and a (bio) polymer matrix Innovative formulations result in unique material properties Based on an exclusive recipes and process techniques The Biofibre® Granulate is a fiber-reinforced bio plastic. The material consists of a matrix of bio polymers and natural fibers. In the manufacturing process, the natural fiber is compounded with the matrix component and necessary additives. Granulates are formed as starting material for further processing. NATURAL FIBRES Biofibre® can be made with various natural fibers. The natural fibre acts as a filler and ensures a natural look and haptics of the end products. Various colors are available upon customer request. BINDING MATERIAL Biofibre® uses Biopolymers as the matrix component for the natural fibers. By adding additives, specific properties of the material such as e.g. E-Modulus, Tensile Strength, Tensile Strain, Flexural Modulus, Flexural Strain at Break, Notched Impact Strength (Charpy), Impact Strength (Charpy) can be influenced. Operates with your standard production Adaptable to customer-specific product requirements Scalable STANDARD PRODUCTION PROCESS Biofibre@ granules operate with your standard production processes. It can be adapted to specific product requirements. CUSTOMIZED PRODUCT DEVELOPMENT Based on the challenges of our customers, Biofibre® is able to accompany specific recipes or product-specific product developments (scalable). In order to meet the different requirements of our customers and not lose clarity, we have differentiated our offer into 4 main product groups, which are described in more detail below. The essence of Biofibre® is located in the Biofibre® Silva product group. These are bio-based and biodegradable compounds based on a biopolymer matrix and natural fibers. Biofibre® Silva is available as standard in 2 versions, in food approved quality and alternatively in recycling quality with as many recycled materials as possible. The name “Silva” is based on the Latin origin for “forest” and symbolizes the importance of naturalness for this product group. Biofibre® Sustra fits perfect when you want to wash your previously used standard plastics “green” by supplying bio-based materials in the compound. Processing capabilities and product properties are almost equivalent to traditional petroleum based plastics (e.g., PE, PP). The bio-based proportion here is at least 20%. Biofibre® Sustra is available as standard in 2 versions, in food approved quality and alternatively in recycling quality with as many recycled materials as possible. The name “Sustra” is derived from the English “sustainability” and thus symbolizes the emphasis on sustainability of this product group. Biofibre Solva is a compound that has been optimized for biodegradability. At the same time, good processability is ensured. Biofibre® Solva is available as standard in 2 versions, in food approved quality and alternatively in recycling quality with as many recycled materials as possible. The name “Solva” is derived from the Latin origin “solvere”, what means “to solve” and indicates the biodegradability of this product group. Biofibre® LENTA is a compound that has been designed to work as a biobased HDPE (High Density Polyethylen) substitute. •Good process ability is ensured. Biofibre® Lenta is available in 2 versions, in virgin grade quality and, alternatively, in non-food grade quality using, among other things, recycled ingredients. We offer a variety of different products in our standard program to cover most of our customer requirements. Nevertheless, new and very customer-specific requirements, which we do not want to refuse, are brought up to us again and again. Also for this, very customer-driven reason, we have decided to give the topic “Customized developments” a permanent place. CSR: Transparency in all areas of a company has been primarily based on a voluntary basis until now. But in relation to CSR (Corporate Social Responsibility) this is now changing. The EU requires companies to report on sustainability (CSR Directive 2014/95/EU). Therefore, many capital-market-oriented companies will have to publish a sustainability or CSR report as of 1 January 2017. The Sustainability Report is intended to provide information on environmental, social and workers’ concerns as well as respect for human rights and the fight against corruption and bribery. RECOGNIZING CSR AS COMPETITIVE ADVANTAGE We will show you, how the use of Biofibre may help actively improve your CSR report on the environment: Reduction of CO2 emissions in your value chain (carbon footprinting for enterprises (CCF) and products (PCF) Climate protection strategy for CO2 prevention and reduction NOT in competition with food production However, an understanding of sustainability, which is limited to the preparation of CSR reports, is not an objective. It keeps sales, profit and cash flow as a measure for the success of a company beside. It depends on, how productions are managed, resources are distributed and investments (also in sustainability) are made. This is why sustainability is part of our core business! BUSINESS OPPORTUNITIES “Sustainability as a leverage for cost reduction or profit maximization? It does not work at all, it costs only money, it does not functioning!” Such or similar comments are still heard when talking to company representatives. But this is NOT true! Sustainable management offers great opportunities to defend, even to increase competitiveness. STRATEGY Additive to pure profit-making, it requires the innovation of products designed for a cycle, the responsible handling of resources, the consideration of ecological consequences and the reduction of CO2 emissions. In our example, the use of Biofibre instead of plastic! INNOVATION Redefine the sustainable (economic, ecological and social) effects of a product from the beginning! Sustainable product innovations can lead to revenue growth. Thus, e.g. a large FMCG group in Sweden achieved a sales growth of almost 100% for instant coffee by introducing the „Fairtrade Seal“ and self-commitment to sustainable procurement for parts of its range. In addition to the price, customers have already long included other factors such as the ecological and social value of the product in their purchasing decision. This means that higher sales prices can be achieved with sustainably produced products. NEWS: BIOPLASTICS COMPOUNDER ACQUIRES WPC AND SHEET PRODUCER NAFTEX Natural fibre and bioplastics compounder Biofibre (Altdorf / Germany; www.biofibre.de), a subsidiary of machinery manufacturer LWB-Steinl (Altdorf; www.lwb-steinl.com), has acquired 80% of wood plastic composite (WPC) producer Naftex (Wiesmoor / Germany; www.naftex.de). The companies did not provide any information on the purchase price. LWB-Steinl CEO Reinhard Danzer and Biofibre CEO Christoph Glammert are taking over management of Naftex, which will remain on the market under its name and with its existing products. The founding family will also remain active in the company. Continue reading: https://pieweb.plasteurope.com/default.aspx?pageid=976543&docid=242641&key=d7ti6vdp43 CUSTOMER EXAMPLE: Product Success story: „Eco Spacer“ by Biofibre® Situation before Eco Spacer®: In the concrete industry, plastic pellets will be used to transport the products (e.g., when stacking concrete floor slabs). The granules (usually LDPE) are used to protect packaged cement and concrete products from scratches and efflorescence. According to the instructions on the packaging, the LDPE granules must be disposed of properly after unpacking and not be blown away or swept into the joints by the wind. Unfortunately, this is not usually done as intended, but large amounts of LDPE land in the soil or in nature, where they remain for hundreds of years and fragment into microplastics. (The market for this granulate is about 500 tons / year alone in Germany alone) Task: We were looking for a suitable material, which ensures the required properties in terms of pressure, shape, elasticity, etc., but as well completely degrades in a reasonable time in the soil. And it should be bio-based to a very high degree. This is to ensure that the (apparently unavoidable) entry in the nature is at least not harmful. Implementation of the project / solution: Factory applied scratch and layer protection with a biogenic content of> 95 M-% The ÖKO STREUGRANULAT (BPB®ECO SPACER®VP 5.0) is sprinkled directly before the packaging (flat shelf) between the stone or plate layers by an automated process. Please see pictures below: ÖKO STREUGRANULAT is a biopolyester-natural-fiber-product with a biogenic content of> 95 M%, which is produced in a special compounding process. The composition allows degradation by rotting in a reasonable time in nature as well as residue-free in industrial composting. During complete composting, the ÖKO STREUGRANULAT will decompose to CO2 and water within 2 -5 years. The high proportion of biogenic material, in the starting product Biofibre® Silva, is confirmed by - the bio-based certification program in accordance with ASTM D 6866: 2016-01 registration number: 8C131 - the Bio-based certification scheme according to EN 16785-1: 2015 Registration number: DIC-00009 The advantages of complete biodegradability lead to small restrictions on use compared to LDPE granules. The durability between the stone layers is not unlimited, but according to our previous experience at least 10 months. The packages must be protected from moisture, best stored in a covered area with a cover sheet (REBA cover). The BPB®ECO SPACER®VP 5.0 is suitable for use under very high pressure loads. The homogeneous granule dimension with low height scattering leads to homogeneous pressure absorption. It has only been observed after extremely high pressure loads (> 10 t) on rough ground, a clawing of the material in the surface. Nevertheless, the granules can be easily removed mechanically with a broom. In no case was brittle fracture behavior observed. The properties of room-wet and water-bearing BPB®ECO SPACER®VP 5.0, such as deformation, tackiness and discolouration behavior, are very similar. The BPB®ECO SPACER®VP 5.0 shows a more homogeneous pressure pickup compared to the LDPE reference, due to the homogeneous dimensioning (low variation in height). Situation Now: The product Eco Spacer® is now available to customers in Germany and UK. BPB Beton- und Prüftechnik Blomberg GmbH & Co. KG,Nederlandstraße 11 in 32825 Blomberg is responsible fort he distribution. Already 80.000kg are shipped to customers, another 160.000kg ar orderd. Forecast for 2019 is ca. 300.000 – 400.000 kg!! A huge amount of savings for the environment and a success story to be continued around the world! This customer project was honored with 2 innovation awards •BIOPOLYMER INNOVATION AWARD 2019 •Promotion price renewable raw materials 2018 from the Bavarian Ministry of Economic Affairs