New pigments for packaging intended to be compostable

Producers of plastic articles are increasingly using polymers that are compostable. Clariant’s business unit Pigments wants to contribute to this growth in compostable plastic articles, with a range of certified “OK compost Industrial” pigments, offering customers new coloring opportunities.

Nine selected products in the ranges PV Fast and Graphtol now feature the label “OK compost Industrial”, that meet the requirements of the European Union EN 13432: 2000 standard when not used above the maximum concentration in the final application, representing a significant contribution to sustainability.

“We are proud of this development that is part of our strategy to offer solutions for more sustainable packaging and to strengthen our product portfolio,” said Andreas Buder, Technical Marketing Manager Plastics at Clariant. “This certification allows our customers to use bright colors in their biodegradable products, since they are suitable for industrial composting.”

The PV Fast and Graphtol range of pigment powders are high performance organic pigments. Both product ranges are used in various applications in the consumer goods sector, such as sensitive food contact packaging, plastics tableware/dishware or toys.
The coloration of biodegradable polymers requires the pigments to meet certain characteristics in order to be considered compostable. For processing through organic recovery facilities, this requires a low heavy metal and fluorine content, and no ecotoxicity towards plants.