Journal switches to potato starch wrapper

The Potato Review has begun using a film wrap made from potato starch to package its magazines for mailing, following the example set by The National Trust. The new wrapper is biodegradable, fully compostable and recyclable, therefore is an environmentally-friendly alternative to single-use plastics.
The raw materials for the new product (high-amylose potato varieties) are not currently grown in the UK, but it is hoped that this will change following increased demand for bioplastics increases and more stringent legislation regarding single-use plastics.
The film, Bioplast, is marketed by Paris-based company Sphere using starch varieties produced in Eastern and Northern France. The firm claims that almost all oil-based packaging products can now be manufactured using amylose extracted from renewable vegetable resources. Potatoes are a particularly useful source and bioplastic granules derived from potato starch are now being used in carrier bags, refuse sacks and vegetable packaging, disposable containers for the food industry, pharmaceuticals and cosmetics.
Sphere claims that using renewable raw materials to produce bioplastics reduces greenhouse gas emissions by 50% and the company offers a guarantee that Bioplast is produced to EU standard EN13432 which states that the product must meet a 90% biodegradability threshold within six months.
The National Trust is also among the growing number of organisations to have made the move to potato starch filmwrap.