Sustainable Packaging Loosefill and Inflatable Air Cushions Meets EN 13427 Standard for Compliance

USA, December 1, 2009 – FP International is pleased to announce that their Biodegradable SUPER 8® loosefill and Biodegradable CELL-O® inflatable air cushions are compliant with EN 13427 standard of the European Packaging Directive, as certified by PIRA International, a leading independent laboratory. EN 13427 is a European standard for sustainable products under the European Packaging and Packaging Waste Directive and the Essential Requirements Regulation.

“Besides being compliant with the stringent EN 13427 standard, the certification notes that our SUPER 8 loosefill is made of 100% recycled polystyrene which is a valuable product feature because it means a seldom recycled waste product is diverted from landfill,” says Michael Kaminski, FP International Senior Vice President, Worldwide Engineering and R&D. “This falls in line with our Sustainable Packaging initiatives and helps reduce the burden on our environment,” adds Kaminski.

Part of the cradle-to-cradle approach for sustainable products includes how products will be used after they have fulfilled their primary purpose. A sustainable product compliant with EN 13427 standards must be either recyclable, reusable, incinerated with a low calorific output, or biodegradable. Both the CELL-O inflatable air cushions and SUPER 8 loosefill can be reused and recycled. “Although these two products do not biodegrade within the short period designated in the definition of commercial compostable, they will biodegrade within 9 to 60 months in the presence of microorganisms,” says Kaminski. He goes on to say that, “our initial tests have shown our loosefill to completely biodegrade in compost in as little time as nine months.”

The EN 13427 standard also requires that compliant products do not give off any heavy metal residues or contain any harmful or dangerous substances.

About FP International:
Headquartered in Redwood City, Calif., USA, FP International is a privately held company with over 500 employees worldwide and sales well in excess of $100 million (U.S.) dollars in 2008.

FP International has U.S. manufacturing facilities in California, Delaware, Illinois, Kentucky and Massachusetts. The company has wholly owned subsidiaries in France, Germany, the Netherlands, the United Kingdom, and a sales operation in Australia.

FP International is an ISO 9001, award-winning manufacturer of innovative, protective packaging products and packaging systems. The company’s products include packaging-made-on-site (PMOS), air cushions, Kraft paper cushioning and ready-to-use products: polyethylene foam, packing peanuts (loosefill) made of 100 percent recycled polystyrene, bubble, and Kraft/bubble mailers. The company has a line of environmentally friendly packaging including Biodegradable products that biodegrade in 9 to 60 months in the presence of microorganisms. The company also designs and installs custom dispensing/storage systems for air cushions and loosefill.

Today, with over 60 percent of total sales derived from products introduced in the past seven years, FP International is considered a leading innovator of both packaging products and equipment.

For more information, visit www.fpintl.com or call 800-866-9946 or 650-261-5300.

Press Contact:
Randy Green
Director of Marketing & Sales Administration
1090 Mills Way
Redwood City, CA 94063 USA
Phone: 1-650-261-5300
Randy.green@fpintl.com

This release was published on openPR.