Green Planet ™ biodegradable in seawater for a sustainable society
THE NORTH FACE operating company Goldwin Inc. is currently reinforcing initiatives for the realization of a sustainable society and has aimed to have around 90% of their products use environmentally friendly materials by 2030. It was in line with this policy that they adopted Kaneka’s Green Planet™ in the straws for use in cafes adjoined to their directly-managed stores.
Green Planet ™ is a biodegradable polymer developed by Kaneka and is 100% derived from plants. With its excellent biodegradability in a wide range of environments, Green Planet ™ has been certified as biodegradable in seawater by “OK Biodegradable MARINE” (*2) and is contributing to the reduction of marine pollution.
Green Planet™ for shopping bags, cutlery and food packaging
It’s also currently being developed further for use in shopping bags, cutlery and food packaging, and furthermore, development of fibers and non-woven fabrics is also underway.
Based on the mission of “Kaneka thinks Wellness First”, Kaneka provides value globally as a solutions provider. Through the deployment of Green Planet ™, Kaneka will continue to help solve the problem of environmental pollution.
(*1). These include “THE NORTH FACE STANDARD FUTAKO TAMAGAWA” (Tokyo), “THE NORTH FACE AKISHIMA OUTDOOR VILLAGE” (Tokyo), “THE NORTH FACE GRAVITY HAKUBA” (Nagano), “THE NORTH FACE GRAVITY NISEKO” (Hokkaido), and “THE NORTH FACE/HELLY HANSEN SHIRETOKO” (Hokkaido).
(*2). Biodegrades at least 90% in seawater (30℃) within 6 months. The”OK Biodegradable MARINE”certificate was issued to Green Planet™（formerly called PHBH™）in September 2017 by Vincotte, an international certifying body headquartered in Belgium. TÜV AUSTRIA Belgium NV took over the certification work from Vincotte in December 2017.
