BASF will cooperate with WPO Polymers to distribute BASF‘s ecovio film product range for certified compostable shopping bags, organic waste bags as well as fruit and vegetable bags in Spain and Portugal.

Building on their respective strengths, BASF and its new partner will be better positioned to accelerate business on this important market and to support food companies and retailers to comply with the Spanish Royal decree 293/2018 on the reduction of plastic bags including the mandatory usage of compostable bags (<50 µm thickness) certified according to EN 13432.

"We have chosen WPO Polymers as partner because of its recognized technical expertise in the field of extrusion and its in-depth knowledge of recycling and plastics materials, which complements BASF’s customer-focused strategy for ecovi in the Spanish market,” says Mia Pettersson, head of BASF’s global business unit Specialty Polymers.

"Our expertise is backed by more than 40 years of experience in the plastics industry. With the inclusion of BASF’s innovative biopolymer ecovio into our portfolio, we will both expand our established business and push the adoption of organic recycling in the Iberian peninsula,” says Manuel Olaegu, CEO and Founder of WPO Polymers.

"We give tailored material advice and technical support to each customer to ensure the optimal use of the right material for the respective process and certified compostable application – these are key success factors in the Spanish and Portuguese bioplastics markets, “ added Olaegu.

The BASF biopolymer ecovio is certified compostable in accordance with e.g. DIN EN 13432. It is a blend of BASF’s PBAT ecoflex and renewable raw materials, which means that ecovio is also partly bio-based. Typical applications for ecovio are organic waste bags, cling film, fruit and vegetable bags, as well as agricultural mulch films and food packaging applications.