"GREEN" GREENS

Eastman Chemical Company and Mazin International team up to provide a totally biodegradable solution from product to package. New Mazin® biodegradable golf tees and packaging film made of Eastman's Eastar Bio® copolyester provide greens keepers an environmentally sound solution that eases maintenance throughout the world's golf courses.

Mazin is described as a degradable polymer-molding compound for use in extrusion operations and the manufacture of molded particles. According to Bill Brown, president and founder of Mazin International, "Current golf tees wreak havoc with maintenance equipment, so we developed a tee made of a grain-based polymer that biodegrades quickly and easily in soil alone - it doesn't require composting. "The tees, marketed in North America under the name "Wheatees," are currently packaged in boxes of 10,000. As Mazin International expands to retail and distributor channels, small lot packaging capable of hanging on retail displays is required.

"We couldn't ethically put a completely biodegradable golf tee in a nonbiodegradable package," said Brown. "Film made of Eastar Bio copolyester addresses our environmental needs while meeting the packaging requirements of our distributors and retailers."

Eastar Bio is an aliphatic-aromatic copolyester. It breaks down quickly into biomass, carbon dioxide and water. "The advantage of the film is that it is virtually a direct replacement for polyethylene, so it requires no special machine or processing changes," notes Eastman's Candace Tanner, senior application development representative. She adds, "The film has superior low temperature resistance so it stays pliant and easy to work with."

In addition, Eastman offers a full range of color concentrates and a color matching service for its line of Eastar Bio copolyesters. The colorants are screened for ecotoxicity and comply with ASTM and DIN test standards for biodegradability.

Brown said that the future of this biodegradable product-to-package solution extends into the plastic dinnerware market with totally biodegradable packaged eating utensils.

For more information, contact Barbara Lawson, Eastman Chemical Company, P.O. Box 431, Kingsport. TN 37662-5371, 423-229-2067, Fax: 423-224-0044, E-mail: