Compostable materials

LG Chem's compostable materials

LG Chem has developed advanced compostable materials, P3HP and PLH, designed for rigid packaging as well as flexible packaging applications such as retail shopping bags and pouches.

PLH is a unique block copolymer that integrates P3HP, a highly flexible polymer, with PLA. This overcomes the inherent brittleness of PLA, achieving an exceptional elongation of up to ~500% and, due to the softness, significantly reducing the rustling noise typical of PLA films, while maintaining excellent transparency.

The key to this innovation is P3HP (poly(3-hydroxypropionic acid)), which is a 100% bio-based polymer chemically polymerized from fermented 3HP (3-hydroxypropionic acid) monomer. LG Chem possesses the original intellectual property for 3HP, P3HP, and PLH.

Given your experience in flexible packaging / sustainable solutions, we believe our material could align with your sustainability goals and retail partnerships. Key features include:

1. P3HP (Poly(3-hydroxypropionic acid))

• 3HP is produced by fermentation
• PHA homopolymer
• Flexible (elongation up to 900%)
• Home compostable and marine biodegradable
• Half the price of existing PHA

2. PLH

• PLA-P3HP block copolymer
• Flexible version of PLA (elongation up to 400-500%)
• Transparent
• Home compostable with appropriate content of P3HP

We would be delighted to explore potential collaboration, including:

• Supplying samples
• Technical discussions on processing parameters
• Joint development for retail-specific formats (e.g., grocery bags, stand-up pouches)

Please let us know if you would be interested in receiving technical data sheets or samples. We are confident this solution can help meet growing consumer and regulatory demand for sustainable packaging.