Plastique dans mon produit ?


Since January 1, 2020, petro-based single-use products (from the transformation of petroleum) such as cutlery, cups or plates are no longer accessible. New alternatives are therefore emerging to replace this polluting component. Manufacturers of straws rely on bamboo , those of plates and cups favor cardboard / cellulose .

But are you sure that your products are 100% plastic free ? This is the question that a distributor of wooden straws asked himself.


In order to be certain of complying with the new standards in force, our client contacted the Polymex laboratory to ensure that his so-called wooden straws did not include any trace of plastic .
The Polymex team therefore offered him a structural analysis by Py/GCMS with a focus on the presence of compounds other than cellulose . Once the sample is placed in the insert of the probe, the pyrojector is heated to high temperature in order to fragment the macromolecules, which will then be separated by the chromatographic column and detected by the mass spectrometer.
It is then possible to identify these fragments in order to determine the polymer matrix(es) present in the sample.


The straw distributor had the unpleasant surprise of discovering that the results of this analysis showed that its product was not made of wood, but of a copolymer derived from petrochemicals.
No trace of cellulose was detected and the presence of this copolymer therefore calls into question the legality of the marketing of its product.
Thanks to this information, our client will be able to turn to his supplier in order to discuss with him the composition of his products and be able to remedy this problem of legality.

Are you a manufacturer of straws, plates, cups or disposable cutlery and want to check the composition of your product? Or do you focus on the absence of plastic in them? Call on the Polymex laboratory!

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