Gaia Biomaterials has signed an agreement with Smart Pack S.A., a Saudi Arabia-based flexible packaging materials provider, making its compostable plastic-alternative material, Biodolomer, available in Chile. This marks Gaia Biomaterials’ first agent agreement in Latin America. Smart Pack specializes in converting materials like BOPP, PET and PVC into viable flexible packaging solutions. 

“The market here needs new sustainable alternatives to fossil plastic, and we need it now,” says Christian Spoerer, commercial director at Smart Pack. “Biodolomer has proven to be a perfect match for us.”

Chile recently passed a law that will ban all single-use plastic in several fields. The industry has been searching for materials that are non-plastic but that still have all the characteristics of plastic.

Biodolomer is a Swedish plastic-alternative material that is based on limestone and that can be used for most applications where plastic is normally used. It is fully compostable and leaves no micro plastics when it decomposes.

“Smart Pack specializes in providing complete packaging solutions,” adds Spoerer. “We handle everything from production line design to machine installation and material supply. When we tested a ton of Biodolomer, it seamlessly integrated into our existing processes.”

The company has just placed its first full container order of Biodolomer. The first products that will be made from Biodolomer in Chile are e-commerce shipping bags.

“It is interesting to see the demand for our material in new markets around the world”, says Gaia Biomaterials CEO Peter Stenström. “Chile is so aggressive in the sustainable transition, and we are already in discussions with companies in other Latin American countries."