As more and more people turn toward making more sustainable and environmentally friendly choices, two of the most common compostable plastics have come into the spotlight: Polylactic Acid (PLA) and Crystallized Polylactic Acid (CPLA) compostable plastic.
PLA and CPLA compostable plastic are the most common compostable plastics, often made from cornstarch with other vegetables which make them sustainable, compostable and renewable. CPLA is Crystallized PLA, meaning that it is heat resistant and useful for food service items such as cutlery, takeaway food containers, coffee cup lids and soup containers. It is not transparent but often seen as white unless charcoal is added to create a black color. PLA is used for cold food service items such as cups, salad containers, deli posts, lids, bags (such as trash bags) and clear windows in sandwich boxes or bags and is transparent. PLA and CPLA are also recognized as non-toxic which allows them to be utilized in medical environments such as medical implants, orthopedic devices and drug delivery systems.
What Is PLA Made Of?
PLA or Polylactic Acid is made typically from fermented food starch often from corn, sugarcane, sugar beet pulp or cassava and combined with lactic acid and cyclic di-ester lactide. Being made from organic materials results in a compostable, renewable, sustainable and ethical plastic product.
Contrary to thermoplastics (a lot of your typical plastics) which are petroleum-based, PLA is produced from raw materials. However, this doesn’t impact its main properties which are comparable to other plastics, making them a rapidly popular less impactful plastic for mindful consumers.
The materials fermented and used for the production of PLA are chosen as they are carbohydrate sources that are then manufactured in a controlled environment and have the starch extracted. This is then mixed with enzymes or acid and heated to break down the starch into dextrose or corn sugar.
What Are The Benefits of CPLA?
CPLA of course shares many of the same benefits of PLA, being fundamentally the same, however, CPLA is able to withstand much higher temperatures than traditional PLA – up to 185’F. This makes it useful for hot items such as food, coffee and soups.
CPLA is also compostable in a home composter or industrial composting facility.
