Agricultural film plays a critical role in raising agricultural productivity. Almost 550,000 tonnes of agricultural film were consumed in Europe in 2011, with silage film accounting for over half of total usage. While demand for agricultural film in tonnage terms is expected to remain stable, some countries like Poland and Central/Eastern Europe may see appreciable growth. Innovation in agricultural film focuses on developing more durable films that extend the growing season and increase yields.

1. Agricultural film | markets feature
Increasingly sophisticated plastic film will to play a critical role in
raising agricultural productivity, says Karla Vittova
Wrapping it up
Over the past 60 years agricultural output and productiv- On the other hand, Italy will see the biggest decline as Producers such
ity has increased significantly. Plastic film for silage, farmers move to using more durable (two- to three- as BASF and
mulch and greenhouse applications has made a season films) from the one-season films currently that others have
substantial contribution to this. The use of plastic films are widely used. made huge
has had a positive impact on the length of growing efforts to
seasons, increased yields, earlier and higher quality Silage success develop more
crops, crop protection, the reduced use of agrochemicals Silage film is the largest segment of the market effective
and efficiency of farm’s resources just to name a few. accounting for more than a half of all films used in additives for
AMI estimates that almost 550,000 tonnes of Europe which is split fairly evenly between clamp silage agricultural
agricultural film were consumed in Europe in 2011. and stretch silage with a small share accounted for by film
Extending the growing season and increasing yields will silo bags/tubes. Production of silage occurs primarily in
remain the main driver for the consumption of agricul- the countries of Northern Europe where there is greater
tural films, although demand in tonnage terms is need for silage to feed livestock during the winter
expected to remain fairly stable over the next five years: months. Thus the Nordic region has the largest produc-
modest growth for silage stretch film will be offset by tion, driven by market leaders Trioplast and Raniplast.
static or declining amounts of mulch and greenhouse In general, trends in production of silage film tend to
film. In contrast to most West European countries, be influenced by farm economics, herd size, EU
Poland and the countries of Central and Eastern Europe subsidies, ecological issues, the development of
are expected to see appreciable growth, largely driven biomass crops and legislative changes. Although
by improvements in agricultural practices in this area. demand for clamp silage is expected to benefit from the
www.filmandsheet.com April 2012 | film sheet EXTRUSION 11

2. markets feature | Agricultural film
POLYMER
and, to a lesser extent, mulch film.
DEMAND FOR
AGRICULTURAL LDPE, LLDPE and EVA are the most commonly used
FILMS IN EUROPE, polymers and together account for around 80% of
2011 materials with the balance in metallocene, HDPE,
reclaimed material, masterbatches and other additives.
LDPE is used largely in mulch, clamp silage film and
greenhouse film. LLDPE is the material of choice
primarily in silage stretch film and in a smaller amount
in mulch film for better tear resistance properties. EVA
increases durability of greenhouse film and ensures
good clarity and light transmission properties.
Innovation in formulation
The main focus of the industry today is to extend the
Source: AMI
growing season and raise yield by developing better
performing films (thermal control, light assimilation,
dramatic growth in biomass ensilage, which is more photo selective films etc.) and extend durability from
likely to be stored in clamps, penetration of silage current one- or two-season films to films lasting up to
stretch film is likely to increase due to the demands to seven seasons for greenhouse film, and nine seasons
improve the quality of fodder. for specialist mulch films.
Achieving higher yields on shrinking land at lower Polymer producers have tried hard to improve
costs to feed a growing population has presented great agricultural film properties by adjusting formulations,
opportunities for the greenhouse and mulch film adding EVA for better tack characteristics, additives to
market. Greenhouse film represents almost 30% of the increase puncture and tear resistance, UV-stability and
European agricultural film market. Classic greenhouse other special additives (such as bird-repellent additives
films account for almost a half of the greenhouse film to stop birds damaging bales). Colour masterbatches
market; macro tunnels account for around 30%, while have also recorded rapid growth in demand and are
the remaining 20% are low tunnel films and floating increasingly used in agricultural films to improve
covers. There is expected to be a small decline in the special photoselective and thermal properties of silage,
overall demand for greenhouse films due to the trend to mulch and greenhouse films.
replace one-season films with more durable two- and Increasingly it has been a challenge to achieve
three-season films. longer durability of film while addressing an issue of
Mulch film represents 20% of the agricultural film plastic waste in agriculture by continuing efforts to
demand. The need to produce more crops on a smaller reduce film thickness and increase recycling rates.
area will drive the consumption of mulch films forward Further downgauging is feasible up to a point when it
in less mature markets. Overall, though, this market is does not compromise performance or the economics of
expected to show a small overall decline mainly due to film production.
replacement by biodegradable types. Pre-stretched films offer an interesting solution for
While Spain and Italy are the largest markets overall, farmers using silage stretch film. They are supplied at 19
accounting for 40% of demand, this is primarily because micron thickness (24% less than conventional wrap)
of their use of greenhouse films and mulch films (used which enables each roll to contain 500m of film more or
within the greenhouse). Silage film demand is more 10 more bales to wrap which offers cost and time savings.
evenly spread across the continent as livestock rearing One of the most recent innovations in the agricul-
is more widespread – but the countries of Northern tural film business and a possible solution for the
Europe tend to have the higher demand because of the combination of thin and durable films are high barrier
colder winters and larger dairy production. films known as virtually impermeable films (VIF) and
The 10 largest agricultural film producers account totally impermeable films (TIF). VIF is usually 3-5 layer
for more than a half of the films produced in Europe. film with a nylon layer in a polyethylene sandwich and
While the Mediterranean producers, Armando Alvarez, its use is mainly in mulch and fumigation films. TIF, film
TPM, Agriplast, Eiffel and Plastika Kritis account for the where a barrier against oxygen is almost absolute,
majority of the greenhouse film output, the Nordic and claims to offer superb performance to silage producers
west European producers such as Trioplast, Rani Plast, who require longer preservation periods (such as in the
BPI, RKW and Hyplast produce primarily silage film Nordic regions where winters are long) but with only
12 film sheet EXTRUSION | April 2012 www.filmandsheet.com

3. Blown Film
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4. markets feature | Agricultural film
to these requirements, by additive, masterbatch and
polymer producers such as BASF, Cytec, Grafe, Kafrit
Industries, Polimeri Europa, Repsol, Rohm Haas,
Techmer and Total Petrochemicals. As a result, the
market has seen more effective additives (UV stabilis-
ers, UV absorbers, antifog and anti-dripping agents),
materials (EVA, mLLDPE, ETFE, bipolymers) and
technologies (multilayer acrylic-based film, barrier
films, photoselective films, heat control in tropic
regions and improved light transmission).
Recycle or biodegrade?
In general, agricultural films, and mulch films are
difficult to recycle due to the extent of contamination by
soil and a multilayer structure consisting of various
materials. Charges for recycling of agricultural films are
also likely to be more expensive than other flexibles.
Now, more than ever, the industry is looking into the
benefits offered by biodegradable materials. The
concept suggests that such film will degrade in soil after
its service life with no effect on the next season’s crop.
Internationally accepted standard EN 13432 defines
how quickly and to what extent biodegradable plastics
should degrade under commercial composting
conditions. At present there is no standard at the
European level to define conditions for films degrading
in fields. However, the French standard NF U 52001 is
Consumption of four layers of plastics wrapped around each bale as preparing to include criteria for degradation of agricul-
agricultural opposed to 6-8 layers recommended for conventional tural mulch films in soil as opposed to composting
film in Europe silage stretch film. TIF is usually a five-layer film (PE/ conditions. For now, oxo-degradable plastics are not
varies widely adhesives/EVOH/adhesives/PE) and claims to save compliant with either of the two standards.
more than 10% of total cost of making silage thanks to Although biodegradable mulch films can be up to
reduced spoilage and 30% less plastic required for four times more expensive than conventional films,
recycling. Future use of barrier films in greenhouse and there is an argument that when taking into account
mulch applications could potentially result in up to 50% labour cost and other costs associated with the
lower doses of pesticides and fumigants used in fields collection of films, transport and recycling, they films
thanks to improved chemical retention properties. still offer cost advantages.
Similarly innovation in this market are films made of The challenge remains to fine-tune the time of
ethylene tetrafluoroethylene (ETFE) and acrylic-based degradation and adjust it to different climatic condi-
films. The ETFE film is a cast film with a gauge of 100 tions. This varies geographically across Europe, and
microns for greenhouse applications and claims also depends on whether the mulch film is used in
benefits such as better heat retention properties than greenhouses or on open fields. The intensity of sun
glass or PE, durability of 10-15 years, being lighter (1% radiation and the amount of rainfall also affect the
of the weight) and cheaper than glass, flame retardant speed of degradation. In addition, the service life of
and self-cleaning due to its very smooth surface. mulch film varies by which plant it is used for as the
Acrylic-based films claim to have even better properties mulch film needs to last as long as the crop. If it breaks
than the ETFE films. The limiting factor is price, which down too early, the film sticks to the crop and damages
growers are seldom willing to pay – meaning that the it and also fails to protect it from weeds.
films are more likely to find their use in constructions Material and additive suppliers have made consider-
such as large arboretums, commercial gardens and able efforts to improve performance of biodegradable
parks, which used to be strongholds of glass rather plastics used in mulch films. Mirel, produced by Telles,
than PE films. is an aliphatic polyester material made of corn sugar
There have been significant efforts made to respond which has chemical resistance similar to PET – but is
14 film sheet EXTRUSION | April 2012 www.filmandsheet.com

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Rewind to the Future

6. markets feature | Agricultural film
is one of the main bioplastic producers in Europe
photo: BPI
producing material based on a PLA (polylactic acid)
blend which is a mixture of co-polyester, PLA and other
biodegradable polymers and additives. The material
does not contain any starch or starch derivatives,
making the final film less sensitive to climatic variations
and degrades more slowly.
The initial tests with bioplastics or oxo-degradable
materials have been made with major European film
producers such as BPI, Barbier in France, Tredegar
Film Products and Oerlemans Plastic in the Nether-
lands, Spain’s Armando Alvarez and the TPM group and
PATI of Italy.
More information
Information in this article comes from an Applied
Market Information study, The Market for Agricultural
Films in Europe. More information can be obtained by
Silage film is able to degrade in soil within six months, without contacting Karla Vittova (kv@amiplastics.com).
an important affecting the next season’s crop. AMI also organises an annual Agricultural Film
segment of the Clariant makes masterbatch for biodegradable conference. The next one takes place on 6-8 November
market plastics and other agricultural films, including IR 2012 in Madrid, Spain. For more information contact
absorbers, anti-fog and photoselective. FKuR Kunststoff Rocio Martinez (rmm@amiplastics.com) or click here.
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