The Milan-based company specialising in the production of designer plastic objects has acquired a 2% stake in Bio-on to take part in the development of bioplastic.
Plastic today represents an environmental problem of catastrophic proportions. It is estimated that eight million tonnes of plastic float in the world's oceans every year, and, according to one study, by 2050 there will be more pieces of plastic in the sea than fish. Investing in the development of more sustainable materials and biodegradable polymers is therefore the only way forward to address this planetary emergency. That is the direction chosen by Kartell, the Italian company specialising in the production of designer objects — from furniture to home accessories to lighting — made from plastic. Kartell has in fact acquired a 2 per cent stake in Bio-on, a Bologna-based company operating in the bioplastic sector through applied research and the development of eco-sustainable materials.
Kartell's objective — having invested ten million euros in the deal — is to accelerate the development of organic electronics based on Bio-on technologies, so as to secure a prominent position in this emerging sector. "We are particularly proud that a prestigious brand like Kartell recognises the innovation and potential of the technologies developed by Bio-on," commented Marco Astorri, president and CEO of Bio-on. "The new frontier of organic electronics has long been part of our bioplastic development plans — a platform product that has already demonstrated it can be used across various industrial sectors to create eco-sustainable products. That is why we want to share our technology with an industrial partner like Kartell, which represents Italian excellence worldwide."
The bioplastic and materials developed by Bio-on (PHAs, or polyhydroxyalkanoates) are of exclusively plant-based origin and "are obtained from renewable sources with no competition with food supply chains," reads a statement from the company. The raw materials used come from agricultural processing waste, including molasses and waste liquors from sugar cane and sugar beet. Despite being completely biodegradable, these plastics guarantee, in most cases, the same performance and thermo-mechanical properties as conventional plastics.
Constant updating and the search for new materials and new technologies are part of Kartell's history. "I am very pleased to be exploring the future and, in particular, to be discovering new technologies that are completely different from the products we have made to date," declared Claudio Luti, president of Kartell. "This partnership is in line with Kartell's strategies, always in search of innovations that can accompany the brand through a process of growth and industrial and product evolution." Research into the application of plant-based polymers in the organic electronics sector is currently under way in the Bio-on laboratories, and the first results are expected during 2018.