BASF’s biodegradable plastic ecovio FS Paper performance during the ADAC Masters Weekend motorsport event

The pilot experiment at the Lausitzring is the first of its kind to test how disposable tableware with an ecovio FS Paper coating can be composted in large quantities.Together with its cooperation partners, BASF intends to expand this closed-loop concept for biodegradable disposable tableware along the entire value-added chain, so that it can be deployed at large-scale events in stadiums or at trade fairs, or else in (fast-food) restaurants, office complexes, hospitals or leisure & sports centers.

Biodegradable plastics: ecovio and ecoflex
Whereas the first ecovio products were based on BASF’s classic, oil-based biodegradable polyester ecoflex, ecovio FS Paper is a new development. This material is made of the now partially bio-based ecoflex FS and PLA (polylactic acid), which is obtained from corn starch. As a result, the thin plastic layer on the disposable tableware consists of more than 50% renewable raw materials, and in fact, the finished article consists of more than 90% organic raw materials. Like the biodegradable waste itself, the ecovio molecules are broken down by microorganisms with the aid of enzymes. The only decisive factor for this degradation process is the structure of the molecule and not the origin of the raw materials. At the end of the composting process, the microorganisms will have completely converted the cardboard plates with the ecovio coating into carbon dioxide, water and biomass. This is a decisive advantage in terms of waste recovery since the waste disposal companies do not have to laboriously sort out the tableware. On the contrary, the material simply turns into valuable compost along with the rest of the organic waste.