D&L ties up with Japan firm for new project

MANILA, Philippines—Newly listed food and plastic input manufacturer D&L Industries has teamed up with Japan’s leading chemical engineering company Showa Denko K.K. to produce a new line of eco-friendly materials that can replace conventional nonbiodegradable plastic bags.

D&L’s subsidiary, D&L Polymer and Colours Inc. (DLPC), has entered into an original equipment manufacturing (OEM) agreement with the Japanese firm for the compounding and manufacturing in the country of Bionolle Starcla, a starch-based material that is fully biodegradable and compostable.

“Bionolle Starcla will breathe new life into the plastics industry, which has lost almost 40 percent of its business to the ban (on the use of plastic bags),” Lester Lao, managing director of DLPC, said in a statement.

“We are also complementing the paper industry as we help it enhance its products and still be environment-friendly. It’s like having the best of both worlds.”

The recent bans of plastic bags nationwide have opened up demand for paper bags as alternatives. But D&L said that paper bags, unless heavily modified, can hardly meet the strength, ease of use, and affordability of plastic bags.

Bionolle Starcla is designed to run on conventional plastic blown film line. Films produced with this material, when exposed to soil, fresh water, seawater, compost, landfill and activated sludge, fully decompose. This material is currently used in mulching films, as well as garbage, compost and shopping bags. New applications include laminates for the paper industry.—Doris C. Dumlao