Carbios and Sleever launch the world’s first home compost biodegradable shrinksleeve labels

Carbios and Sleever have announced the signing of an exclusive, long-term contract to jointly develop Home Compost biodegradable mono-oriented transverse shrink films.

This partnership includes a master supply agreement of Carbios Active, an enzymatic solution developed by Carbios for polylactic acid (PLA) biodegradation. Carbios Active is integrated directly into the transformation process to make these PLA-rich films Home Compost, while guaranteeing quality compost. These films will enable sleeves to be used in applications as diverse as labelling, wrapping and securing packaging for the luxury goods and mass retail markets, offering an eco-designed solution for packaging with no dedicated value chain.

Sleever is a French family-owned company with a 50-year history and a strong international footprint with 14 industrial sites on five continents. With over 500 patents and multi-disciplinary R&D, Sleever masters the entire value chain: from film formulation, printing, manufacturing and provision of services. For over 15 years, Sleever has demonstrated its ongoing commitment to working with experts in the packaging industry to accelerate and increase circular economy streams by providing solutions to the challenges of packaging recyclability and reducing the carbon footprint of products.

Carbios Active is integrated directly into the film manufacturing phase, enables PLA-rich packaging to be composted at room temperature, thereby improving its life cycle. The encapsulated enzyme, Carbios Active, enables the creation of a new generation of products made from biopolymers that can be composted at ambient temperature, whatever the soil conditions, while guaranteeing quality compost, free from toxicity and microplastics.

A production line is already up and running at Carbios headquarters in Clermont-Ferrand, France, capable of producing 2,500 tonnes/year of Carbios Active (needed to produce the equivalent of 50,000 tonnes/year of enzymed PLA).

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