The increasing concern about the environmental impact and sustainability of traditional plastics has led to the development of new materials derived from renewable sources, in particular for use in the production of bags (shoppers). On the market there are
many compostable products based on polylactic acid (PLA) and polyesters, but none of these has mechanical properties comparable to conventional plastic materials. To overcome these limits the research group has produced a new type of copolymer based on PLA, with a higher content from renewable resources and a lower cost than products actually present on the market. The material is also transparent and has optimum mechanical characteristics for the production of packaging film and for shopping bags. In particular it presents an increased mechanical strength, a good deformability and good elastic recovery, accompanied by being soft to the touch. Specially, the film in a thickness of 15 àm disintegrated almost completely within 4 weeks of composting under industrial conditions (ISO 16929) and proved to be biodegradable under controlled composting conditions (ISO 14855). This copolymer compostable film will find a strong potential market for packaging.