Sustainable Packaging is a Growing Sector in China

SKEGNESS, England, January 14, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- As businesses in China wake up to the importance of environmentally sustainable packaging one UK firm is celebrating its first export orders of a pioneering new degradable polythene additive.

CFN Packaging has sold two consignments of Biothene(R) - a new additive developed to tackle the problem of discarded bags and packaging - to China.

The latest order was taken at the China International Degradable Plastics and Decomposition Materials Exhibition in Shanghai last week.

CFN Packaging's Sales Director Peter Wood spent three days at the exhibition spreading the word about degradable polythene packaging among Chinese businesses.

"It was a very worthwhile trip," said Peter. "There must have been several thousand delegates through the doors and we had around 40 enquiries about our Biothene(R) product.

"We also took a firm trial order for five tonnes of Biothene(R) which was very encouraging."

Peter says China is behind the curve in terms of degradable polythene additives - but it is catching up fast with the West.

"There is considerable interest in degradable additives," he said. "They're about 10 years behind but catching up fast with a growth rate of 10% this year and a forecast of 10.1% for 2011.

"It's difficult to estimate the tonnage we could achieve as it's early days, but suffice it to say that it could be quite substantial over the next couple of years."

CFN Packaging's first export shipment to China was purchased by the firm's agent Envisage Technology Ltd, a distributor of antimicrobial, degradable and fragrant additives based in Hong Kong and Shenzhen in Guangdong.

"We have been agents for CFN Packaging for about a year but this is the first time we have imported the company's degradable polythene additive Biothene(R)," said Kevin Lau of Envisage Technology.

"We supply many Chinese manufacturers and we expect that Biothene(R) will prove to be very popular. It perform wells and it will sell well in the near future.

According to Jayson Clark, Director of CFN Packaging, the world is getting smaller thanks to communications technology, which makes exporting easier even for small family firms like CFN.

"There's tremendous potential for growth in China and this momentum, coupled with an increasing awareness of environmental issues in that country, makes China a fertile market for green products like Biothene(R)," he said.

Notes to editors

    
    - CFN Packaging is an established family firm manufacturing polythene
    products for the packaging trade.

    - Biothene(R) is a new degradable polythene additive developed to tackle
    the problem of discarded bags and polythene packaging.

    - Biothene(R) starts to degrade upon exposure to sunlight, a process
    which is accelerated by heat. Once the material has been broken down into
    small particles these degrade biologically into a non-toxic residue 
    within 12 to 18 months.

    - Sales of Biothene(R) have increased by 250% in the past two years.