Japan's Ricoh plans to produce foamed PLA on a large scale and establish the entire value chain in Europe
Ricoh plans to expand the foamed PLA sheet it started producing in Japan to Europe this year. "We want to work with processors and recyclers, but we are also interested in other companies who want to license this material in Europe," Ricoh business development manager Philippe Wolff said at this year's K show in Germany. Wolff said its The goal is not to import raw materials or finished products from Asia, but to establish the entire value chain in Europe.
Ricoh currently operates a pilot plant in Numazu, Japan, with a capacity of 15 tons/year. The plant is scheduled to start regular industrial-scale operations within a few months, with an annual capacity of 1,000 tonnes/year.
The PLA sheets will be sold under the PLAiR brand and will have a width of 1000mm and a thickness of 1mm to 3mm. Applications made from it include food containers for frozen foods that can be heated in the microwave, bowls/trays for ready-to-eat foods, coffee lids, and more.
Most importantly, using this material can help processors or food companies reduce their carbon footprint. "Polylactic acid is a material derived from cornstarch that can be recycled physically or chemically, or it can be broken down into water and carbon dioxide in industrial composting," Wolf added.
Wolff emphasized that in the pilot plant, PLA products produced 34% less CO2 over their life cycle than conventional products made from polystyrene. According to the company, this will be further improved on an industrial scale.
