“The global market for agricultural film material is currently an 8-billion-pound industry, and this includes silage wrap, greenhouse, and mulch film. Today, bioplastics represent just 14 million pounds, with an AAGR (2008-2010) of 17%.”

Source: Andrew Reynolds, Research Director, AMI Consulting Ltd., 2007

Data Sources: BCC, Global Industry Analysts reports

Working with the Soil

Telles is developing agriculture/horticulture markets and applications to support farming and roadway construction work. Items include mulch film and drip irrigation, silage wrap for hay, heavy “ag bags” for animal feed and fertilizers, bail wrap for laying turf sod, and ground covers for roadside tree plantings.

Mulch film made with Mirel resins has a unique benefit in that it can be tilled into the soil, where Mirel resins biodegrade naturally. 

Regulatory trends in Europe and North America are increasing the attractiveness of this market for Mirel. In North America, departments of transportation are mandating more biodegradable products for use in work under contract. In Europe, several countries are enforcing a total ban of conventional plastic use on farms by 2010. Mirel bioplastics can be produced to meet both regulatory and agricultural field-performance requirements. In some markets, Mirel will be as economical as traditional material and will outperform other bioplastics materials.

For agriculture applications, the geographic location has significant impact on the rate of biodegradation. In conjunction with local organizations, Telles is conducting a series of field trials in order to understand the effect of crop selection and location on the performance of Mirel film grades for agricultural applications.