Earthshell (ERTH WKN:912907) hat das Zeug zum Verzehnfacher.(viel Text) - 500 Beiträge pro Seite

[HaroldG]

Ich habe das Gefühl hier tut sich eine sehr große Chance zum Verzehnfacher auf.Ich weiß, das ist sehr reißerisch formuliert, aber wenn man sich die Fakten mal ansieht, dann ist die Wahrscheinlichkeit gegeben.

ERTH kommt von 25 Dollar und wurde damals zu früh zu hoch emittiert.In der Zwischenzeit sind sie aber auf 4 Dollar gesunken und stehen bei einer Marktkap von 435 Mio.D.H. sie waren mal bei 2,7 Milliarden.

Prinzip ist einfach und die Phantasie , die damals ERTH so hoch emitieren lies auch:

30. Juli 1998
EarthShell gewinnt den "Innovation in Real Materials Award":
(al) Für die Entwicklung eines biologisch abbaubaren Verpackungsmaterials wurde die EarthShell Corp. kürzlich in Washington D.C. mit dem "Innovation in Real Materials Award" der Innovations in Materials Conference ausgezeichnet.

Die EarthShell Corp. hat ihren Hauptsitz in Santa Barbara und ist eine Tochtergesellschaft von E. Khashoggi Industries (EKI). Der Vize-Vorsitzende der EarthShell Corp., Simon Hodson, der Vize-Präsident der Produktentwicklung, Dr. Per Just Andersen, und EKI-Forscher Dr. Amitabha Kumar, nahmen die Auszeichnung entgegen.

Der Leiter der Konferenz, der renommierte Materialforscher Dr. Rustum Roy von der Pennsylvania State University, lobte besonders den revolutionären Charakter des neuen Materials, das sich gegenüber herkömmlichen Verpackungsmaterialien dadurch auszeichnet, daß es vollständig kompostierbar ist. Die Hauptbestandteile des neuen Verpackungsmaterials setzen sich ausschließlich aus natürlichen Stoffen wie Kalkstein, Kartoffelstärke und Wasser zusammen. Das ökologische Material ist vielfältig verwendbar und könnte besonders im Bereich der Verpackung von Speisen im Fast-Food-Bereich eingesetzt werden. Seit 1995 wurden die neuen Verpackungen in 46 McDonald’s Restaurants in Las Vegas und Umgebung getestet. Die Versuchsreihen mit den neuen Speisecontainerboxen der EarthShell Corp. haben ergeben, daß sie sehr robust sind und die Temperaturen der Speisen sehr gut halten. Folgt man der Life Cycle Inventory-Studie, die den Produktionsaufwand von Kunststoffverpackungen mit dem des EarthShell-Produktes vergleicht, zeigt sich, daß bei der Produktion des ökologischen Verpackungsmaterials

bedeutend weniger Energie benötigt wird
weit weniger Treibhausgase entstehen und
weniger Abfall anfällt.
Die EarthShell Corp. setzt sich stark für die weitere Lizensierung und Kommerzialisierung ihres Einweg-Verpackungsmaterials ein, das durch mehr als 100 Patente geschützt wird.



Danach fehlten aber die großen Partner und , wie so oft bei revolutionären Ideen, auch der Wille.

heute 2001 aber , hat MC Donalds,einige Staaten in den USA(z.B.Milwaukee) und auch DuPont einige Verträge nach langen Tests dieser Verpackungen mit Earthshell abgeschlossen.

Die Chance ist groß, natürlich genau wie das Risiko.
Jedenfalls ist ERTH ein Pioneer auf diesem Zukunftsgebiet.



Das Unternehmen

Der Mutter-Konzern von EarthShell, E. Khashoggi Industries, LLC (EKI), entwickelte und und patentierte ein geschütztes Verbundmaterial, das dazu verwendet wird, Essensverpackungen herzustellen. EarthShell hat eine exklusive, weltweite, Lizenzgebühr-freie Lizenz um die EKI-Patente for diese Technology zu vermarkten.

ERTH hat einen Behälter für die McDonald´s Big Mac Sandwiches entwickelt. Die Ausgangsmaterialien dafür sind Kalkstein, Kartoffelstärke und kleineren anderen Bestandteilen, deren Quellen Zellulosefasern von Konsumabfällen wie z.B. von Fruchtsaft- und Milchkartons sind.

Diese Behälter sind seit Ende April in 128 McDonald´s Restaurants in Benutzung als Teil einer Prüf-Periode. Wenn die Prüfung positiv beendet wird, plant McDonald´s, diese Behälter in allen US-Bundesstaaten einzuführen. Das Risiko dabei ist, ob EarthShell die Produktion schnell genug ausweiten kann.

Die Produkte von EarthShell benötigen einen geringen Energieaufwand, was zu einer geringen Emission von Schadstoffen führt, die den Treibhauseffekt verstärken würden, im Vergleich mit herkömmlichen Verpackungsmaterialien. Das Material ist stark, isoliert gut und kann durch Kompostierung recycled werden.


Der Markt

Der Markt umschliesst alle Fast-Food-Ketten, aber auch andere Bereiche, in denen Essen verpackt werden muss.
1998 wurden in Amerika mehr als 100 Milliarden US-Dollar für Fast Food ausgegeben. Dieser Markt wächst jährlich um 20 %.


Meldungen

11.04.2001, Ein durch EarthShell produziertes Video wird von MediaLink US-weit ausgestrahlt. In diesem Video betonen Vertreter von US-Umweltbehörden und -Organisationen die Wichtigkeit des Ansatzes von EarthShell zur Herstellung umweltschonender Essensverpackungen, die einzigartigen Umwelteigenschaften, sowie die saubere und energieeffiziente Produktion.

10.04.2001, EarthShell und DuPont unterzeichnen eine Vereinbarung zur gemeinsamen Entwicklung biologisch abbaubarer Essensverpackungen.

03.04.2001, Das Milwaukee Public School System, der Los Angeles Unified School District sowie die University of Texas in Houston haben die Produkte von EarthShell erfolgreich getestet.

30.11.2000, EarthShell gibt bekannt, dass der Test von BigMac-Behältern so erfolgreich verlaufen ist, dass die Lieferung in 300 McDonald´s-Restaurants beginnt. Während der Testperiode wurden mehr als 4 Mio. Behälter verkauft. Wenn eine gute Resonanz von den 300 Restaurants erfolgt, ist der nächste geplante Schritt, den Vertrieb auf die Westküste auszuweiten, beginnend mit Kalifornien.

Persönliche Meinung zu dieser Aktie

18.04.2001, Die positiven Meldungen von McDonalds haben im April 2001 Wirkung gezeigt. Möglicherweise als Folge dieser Akzeptanz durch diesen multinationalen Konzern häufen sich positive Meldungen; die entsprechenden Gewinne sollten folgen. Es scheint, dass dieses Investment sich sehr vielversprechend entwickelt.

31.10.2000, Aufgrund des frühen Stadiums dieser Firma schätze ich das Investment als spekulativ ein, bisher werden keine Einnahmen erzielt. Ein Totalverlust kann nicht ausgeschlossen werden. Andererseits ist es zweifellos ein richtiges Produkt zum richtigen Zeitpunkt, und so ist auch die Chance enorm, um nicht zu sagen gigantisch, was schon durch den möglichen Kunden McDonald´s begründet ist. Die Prüfperiode läuft Mitte November ab, so dass schon bald Klarheit herrscht.
Seit meinem Kauf Anfang Oktober ist der Kurs zuerst von 1,3 US-$ auf ca. 0,7 US-$ gefallen, um dann auf aktuell 3,5 US-$ anzusteigen. Wenn es bald positive Nachrichten gibt, könnte dies heute noch ein wahres Schnäppchen sein, andernfalls sollte für Investments ein zeitweiser Rückgang abgewartet werden.



Das letzte SEC:
May 15, 2001

EARTHSHELL CORP (ERTH)
Quarterly Report (SEC form 10-Q)
Item 2. Management`s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations
Information contained in this Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q including "Management`s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations" contain forward-looking statements within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995, as amended. These statements may be identified by the use of forward-looking terminology such as "may," "will," "expect," "anticipate," "estimate," or "continue," or the negative thereof or other comparable terminology. Any one factor or combination of factors could cause the Company`s actual operating performance or financial results to differ substantially from those anticipated by management that are described herein. Factors influencing the Company`s operating performance and financial results include, but are not limited to, changes in the general economy, the availability of financing, governmental regulations concerning, but not limited to, environmental issues, and other risks and unforeseen circumstances affecting the Company`s business and should be read in conjunction with other factors discussed in the Company`s Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2000.

Results of Operations

EarthShell Corporation (the "Company") was organized in November 1992 as a Delaware corporation and is a development stage company engaged in the commercialization of a proprietary composite material, designed with the environment in mind, for the manufacture of disposable packaging for the foodservice industry, such as hinged-lid containers, plates, bowls, sandwich wraps, and cups.

E. Khashoggi Industries LLC, the Company`s principal stockholder, or its predecessors ("EKI"), has been involved since July 1985, in the development of various new material technologies including the new EarthShell composite material. The Company has an exclusive, worldwide, royalty-free license from EKI to use and license the EKI technology to manufacture and sell disposable, single-use containers for packaging or serving food or beverages intended for consumption within a short period of time ("EarthShell Products"). The Company does not have the right to use the EKI technology for other purposes.

The Company licenses or joint ventures with existing manufacturers of foodservice disposables to manufacture and distribute EarthShell Products. The Company expects to derive revenues primarily from license royalties and profit distributions from joint ventures that are licensed to manufacture EarthShell Products.

The Company has experienced aggregate net losses of approximately $202 million from its inception on November 1, 1992 through March 31, 2001. The Company expects to continue to incur operating losses until its products are more broadly used and have achieved greater market acceptance and market penetration. The Company has not recorded any revenues from operations since its inception, and proceeds received by Sweetheart Cup Company from sales of hinged lid containers to date are credited as an offset to the cost of startup manufacturing operations. Successful future operations will depend upon the ability of the Company, its licensees and joint venture partners to commercialize multiple EarthShell Products.

Key Customer

As the first step in its strategy, the Company has continued to work closely with McDonald`s Corporation(R) ("McDonald`s") and McDonald`s primary packaging supplier, Perseco, in developing and testing a container for the Big Mac(R)sandwich. The Company and its licensee, Sweetheart, have constructed a commercial manufacturing facility in Owings Mills, Maryland, and have progressed through an intensive product validation process with Perseco with respect to this product. The debugging and start-up of the manufacturing facility have taken longer and cost more money than originally anticipated. However, as of March 2001, the product design of the EarthShell hinged-lid container for the Big Mac(R)sandwich has been finally approved by McDonald`s for use by the McDonald`s system in the U.S.

To date, over seven million EarthShell containers for the Big Mac(R)sandwich have been purchased and used on a continuous validation test basis in select McDonald`s stores in the Chicago area. In March 2001, following a third party audit of product performance of an improved product design to enhance the functionality and performance of the package (including a "double-tab" design and a revised process for the application of the exterior coating), McDonald`s advised the Company that the EarthShell container for the Big Mac(R)sandwich meets the product design, performance, and quality criteria for use in the McDonald`s system. After necessary adjustments to manufacturing lines to incorporate these recent design modifications, it is anticipated that distribution of the container will be expanded throughout the Chicago area to confirm full manufacturing capability and economics of the sandwich container.

The Company has been advised that McDonald`s intends to use the EarthShell container for the Big Mac(R) sandwich in its U.S. restaurants, based on continuing performance against expectations and product availability, and competitive pricing, although there can be no assurance of minimum purchase commitments. With respect to specific commitments to supply product to the McDonald`s system, the Company continues on a path with input from Perseco and McDonald`s toward a relationship that is consistent with Perseco`s customary supplier relationships. In addition, the Company is free, at any time, to seek other customers for the sandwich container produced at the Sweetheart facility.

First Commercial Manufacturing Facility

In 1998 and 1999, the Company built its first commercial manufacturing plant at Sweetheart`s facility in Owings Mills, Maryland to produce the EarthShell Big Mac(R)sandwich container for sale to Perseco/McDonald`s. During the first quarter, the Company operated one of three installed EarthShell Big Mac(R)container manufacturing lines in a production mode to meet the customer`s immediate demand for product.

During the quarter, the Company and Sweetheart completed a product validation process with Perseco with respect to the EarthShell Big Mac(R)sandwich container. EarthShell containers have been in daily use in 128 McDonald`s stores since late April 2000, and over 7.0 million containers have been used to date. The Company has met all of the validation criteria and has been approved for expansion into the Chicago area and Western region of the United States.

The quantities of product manufactured to date are small relative to the intended capacity of the lines. Although certain modifications or improvements to the lines are needed to achieve the recently approved design change and to achieve commercial capacity of the production manufacturing lines, the Company believes these three lines will be sufficient to meet the Perseco/McDonald`s system requirements. Although the Company believes that the production from the first three lines will be profitable once they have been optimized and reach full design capacity, due to the protracted time delays and additional costs to initially commercialize its first plant, the Company may not realize the full economic potential of the technology with this first facility. Because the Owings Mills facility is the Company`s first commercial implementation of the EarthShell technology, the Company believes that the cost incurred on the manufacturing lines in this facility will be significantly higher than the cost of manufacturing lines in subsequent facilities.

Other Products; Other Customers

In keeping with its goals to provide environmentally superior disposable packaging for use by the U.S. Government, EarthShell has provided plates and bowls over the past two years for demonstration projects with the U.S. Department of the Interior and other users, demonstrating product performance and customer acceptance of such products. The U.S. Department of the Interior conducted its own tests through the U.S. Department of Agriculture to validate the compostability of the EarthShell containers. In March 2001, the Company signed a commercial supply agreement with Guest Services, Inc. ("GSI") to supply the U.S. Department of the Interior with plates and bowls. In addition, the Company is in discussion with the National Parks Service to consider the use of plates and bowls in certain of the National Parks during 2001.

Sysco Corporation, the leading foodservices distributor in North America, and other potential customers are engaged in discussions with the Company or its joint venture partners regarding purchase commitments for a range of EarthShell Products including plates, bowls, sandwich containers and sandwich wraps.

In late 2000, the Company developed a new fully compostable sandwich wrap that has been designed as an alternative to the polyethylene laminated paper and foil wraps that currently dominate the food service industry. A national fast food chain is currently testing this new wrap for possible use in their system. As well, the Company has entered into a joint development agreement with DuPont Polyester to work on sandwich wraps and protective coatings combining the Company`s proprietary technology with the DuPont Biomax(R) hydrobiodegradeable polyester coatings/films and technology.

While McDonald`s and other key customers continue to show an increased interest in EarthShell Products, should any of these parties discontinue their interest in purchasing the Company`s products for any reason, the introduction and market acceptance of one or more of the EarthShell Products could be delayed which could have an adverse effect on the Company`s business, financial condition, and results of operations.

Comparison of the Three Months Ended March 31, 2001, to the Three Months March 31, 2000.

The Company`s net loss decreased $1.1 million to $8.1 million from $9.2 million for the three months ended March 31, 2001 compared to the three months ended March 31, 2000.

Total Research and Development Expenses Total research and development expenditures for the development of EarthShell Products decreased $1.3 million to $4.7 million from $6.0 million for the three months ended March 31, 2001 compared with the three months ended March 31, 2000. The Company was billed by EKI for research and development services totaling $0.3 million and $2.0 million for the three months ended March 31, 2001 and 2000, respectively. Approximately $1.0 million of the cost reduction is directly related to reducing the operating costs of the Owings Mills facility related to the continued development and production of the EarthShell Big Mac(R)sandwich container, when comparing the first quarter of 2001 to the first quarter of 2000.

Total General and Administrative Expenses Total general and administrative expenses increased $0.2 million to $2.2 million from $2.0 million for the three months ended March 31, 2001 compared to the three months ended March 31, 2000. This increase results from the direct hiring of EKI administrative personnel at January 1, 2001, and is offset by the decrease of $1.7 million in related party research and development expense on a quarter to quarter basis for March 31, 2001 to March 31, 2000, respectively.

Depreciation and Amortization Expense Depreciation and amortization expense decreased $0.1 million to $1.3 million from $1.4 million for the three months ended March 31, 2001 compared with the three months ended March 31, 2000.

Related Party Patent Expenses Legal fees reimbursed to EKI under the Amended and Restated Agreement for Allocation of Patent Costs with EKI decreased $0.1 million to $0 million from $0.1 million for the three months ended March 31, 2001 compared with the three months ended March 31, 2000. At January 31, 2001 the Company assumed direct responsibility to mange the maintenance of the patent portfolio underlying the license with EKI.

Interest Income Interest Income decreased $0.4 million to $0.1 million from $ 0.5 million for the three months ended March 31, 2001 compared to the three months ended March 31, 2000 due to reduced cash balances on hand.

Liquidity and Capital Resources at March 31, 2001

Cash Flow. The Company`s principal use of cash for the three months ended March 31, 2001 was to fund operations, including the continued development and purchase of equipment to facilitate the development of manufacturing capacity for EarthShell Products. Net cash used in operations was $8.7 million for the three months ended March 31, 2001 and $9.5 million for the three months ended March 31, 2000. Net cash used in investing activities was ($1.3) million and ($3.6) million for the three months ended March 31, 2001 and 2000, respectively. Net cash provided by financing activities was $5.5 million and $0 million for the three months ended March 31, 2001 and 2000, respectively. As of March 31, 2001 the Company had cash totaling $3.2 million.

Capital Requirements. The Company expects to spend approximately $10.0 to $15.0 million in capital expenditures in the year 2001 related to developing the manufacturing facilities and prototypes for the line of EarthShell Products. The Company paid or accrued approximately $1.3 million in capital expenditures for the first three months ended March 31, 2001. The Company spent approximately $6.6 million in capital expenditures for the year ended December 31, 2000.

Sources of Capital. As part of the Company`s initial public offering on March 27, 1998, the Company issued 10,526,316 shares of its common stock, $.01 par value, for which the Company received net proceeds of $206 million. On March 31, 2000, the Company filed a Registration Statement on Form S-3 to register 5,000,000 shares of its common stock, which became effective April 19, 2000. On May 3, 2000, the Company signed an agreement with Acqua Wellington North American Equities Fund, LTD ("Acqua Wellington"), pursuant to which the Company may, from time to time and in its sole discretion during the 12 months following the date of the agreement, present Acqua Wellington with draw-down notices requiring Acqua Wellington to purchase up to $2,500,000 of the Company`s common stock in respect of each draw-down notice. The Company will issue and sell the shares to Acqua Wellington at a per share price equal to the average price of the Company`s common stock over a period of time after the draw-down notice less a discount of 5%. The Company may present Acqua Wellington with up to 12 drawdown notices during the term of the agreement. In addition, the agreement gives Acqua Wellington the option to purchase an additional $2.5 million of the Company`s common stock per month for the same twelve months, subject to certain conditions. In December 2000, the Company filed a new S-3 registration statement covering the issuance of up to 15 million additional shares of common stock. In addition, the Company obtained an extension of its commitment from Acqua Wellington for an additional 12 months.

Although the common stock purchase agreement with Acqua Wellington provides that the Company generally may not draw down unless the Company`s common stock is trading at $3.00 per share or more, Acqua Wellington has continued to purchase shares from the Company from time-to-time at negotiated prices, when the market price for the Company`s common stock is less than $3.00 per share.

During the three months ended March 31, 2000 the Company issued approximately 4.1 million shares of common stock to Acqua Wellington and received net proceeds from such issuance of approximately $5.5 million.

The Company in continuing to reduce the overall burn rate and is focusing its resources on those activities that are critical to demonstrate the commercial viability of the EarthShell business model. These activities include, modifying and optimizing the Owings Mills manufacturing equipment, ramping up commercial production of the Big Mac(R)sandwich container, and continuing to develop next generation products and manufacturing processes.

The Company believes that its existing cash and the financing provided through the Acqua Wellington equity drawdown facility will enable it to continue funding its operations, including the Owings Mills facility, as well as continue with its next generation development of EarthShell Products over the next nine months. The Company, nevertheless continues discussions with certain financing institutions to secure additional sources of long term funding. While the Company has no current commitments for additional funding apart from Acqua Wellington, based on discussions with these institutions, the Company believes that efforts to obtain additional financing will be successful. The Company cannot assure, however, that commitments can be obtained on favorable terms, if at all.

Die WKN von Earthshell ist 912907 und wird in Deutschland nur in Berlin gehandelt. Nicht vergessen Limits zu setzen, denn ERTH ist ein sehr marktenger Wert.
Man kann natürlich auch direkt in den USA kaufen, dort ist ein durchschnittlicher Umsatz von 704000 Stück pro Tag.


Gruß


PS: Ich selber habe einige in Berlin gekauft, wo der Handel trotz niedrigem Umsatz direkt abgewickelt wurde. Ich gehe allerdings davon aus, daß die Aktie in ein paar Jahren für die breite Masse bekannter wird(alleine schon wegen MCDonalds) und somit auch in Deutschland die Umsätze steigen werden.
Habe den Beitrag nochmal hier reingestellt, da im Auslandsforum die Beteiligung nicht so rege wie hier ist.

[HaroldG]

Sagt mir Eure Meinung zu dem Wert.

[starshine]

@HaroldG

dein beitrag ist sehr informativ.
meiner meinung nach bleibt das investment aber sehr spekulativ (finanzen). die cash burn rate muß runter und kommerzielle deals müssen bald folgen. das potential ist meiner meinung nach riesig für biologisch abbaubare verpackungen.

einige fragen hätte ich noch an dich, da du dich ja sehr intensiv mit dem wert auseinandergesetzt hast:

ist die exklusive lizenzvergabe auch zeitlich unlimitiert?
kann man in diesem frühen stadium abschätzen, wie hoch die margen sind?
der handel über berlin ist extrem eng. wie hoch sind dort in der regel die tagesstückzahlen?

besten dank im voraus!


starshine

[HaroldG]

hm also so viel ich weiß, laufen im Prinzip alle Patente nach einer bestimmten Zeit >10 Jahre aus.

Die Patente stammen von der Firma Kashoggi(hält 70% an ERTH) und Earthshell hat die einzige weltweite Lizenz(dazu das hier:http://www.wallstreetcorner.com/stockpick.html?ID=69&Unique=… solche Verpackungen zu vermarkten.


Hier ein paar Patentvergaben von Kashoggi, der Mutterfirma von Earthshell:

E. KHASHOGGI INDUSTRIES

Year of Grant ==> -- 1995 -- -- 1996 -- -- 1997 -- -- 1998 -- -- 1999 -- -- Total --
# of Patent Grants ==> 2 11 23 16 1 53


Die italienische Firma Novamont hatte ja mal versucht diese Patentrechte zu verletzten und bekam ziemlich starken Gegenwind von Kashoggi und Earthshell:


ANNAPOLIS JUNCTION, Md., Sept. 15 (LocalBusiness.com) -- Call it a Happy Meal day for Annapolis Junction-based EarthShell Corp.

Executives of the maker of environmentally friendly food-service packaging, including a sizable percentage of McDonald`s Big Mac sandwich containers, said Italian-based Novamont S.p.A has dropped three of four counts of patent infringement against the company.

At issue were U.S. patents for composite material made primarily of limestone and starch. Novamont produces starch-based biodegradable products.

The counts were without merit, as is the one remaining claim, EarthShell executives said. In a statement, EarthShell officials said the firm and parent company E. Khashoggi Industries LLC "have taken aggressive action to defend its patents and will continue to do so in the future."


-Der Umsatz von Earthshell ist in Berlin noch gering und liegt zwischen 0 und 1000 Stück täglich.


-Die Margen kann man für den BigMac-Karton abschätzen, allerdings kommen ja auch Verpackungen in US-Schulen und sonstigen Kantinen eventuell dazu.
=>Laut eines Vertrages sollen erstmal mindestens 1,3 Milliarden Verpackungen für MC-Donalds ausgeliefert werden und die Chancen stehen gut, daß MCDonalds der offizielle langfristige Partner wird.Eventuell auch für andere Burger und MCD-Artikel.

Hier ein Bild von der Verpackung, die genau wie die herkömmliche Verpackung aussieht, aber kompostierbar ist und mit weniger Aufwand(Kosten) hergestellt werden kann.

<img src=http://www.packagingdigest.com/News/Images/1000np1463.jpg>…

Hier ein weiterer sehr interessanter Artikel zu dem Bild:

EarthShell lands on McDonald`s
Big Mac sandwiches in the Chicagoland area McDonald`s restaurants may be packaged for sale in a new type of clamshell, rather than a wrapping. The molded, hinged containers have been spotted in area restaurants this summer. They aren`t made of foam, but are instead made of what developer EarthShell Corp. calls a "new-to-the-world" composite material. In fact, EarthShell, Santa Barbara, CA, has patented the environmentally-charged foodservice package, made primarily of abundant limestone (a.k.a. calcium carbonate) and renewable, 100-percent reclaimed potato starch.

In daily use in 129 McDonald`s restaurants in the Chicago area since April, as part of an in-store validation program, the disposable/compostable containers incorporate recycled and reclaimed materials and toxic-free inks, and are durable, grease- and water-resistant. EarthShell contends the containers use less total energy, which can result in low greenhouse gas emissions, than traditional packaging. The packaging is also said to be biodegrade in the presence of air and moisture when cracked or broken, provides insulation properties and is recyclable through composting.

More than three million clamshells have been shipped into the restaurants and presumably fit in with McDonald`s environmental stance. A top purchaser of recycled materials, McDonald`s has reportedly reduced its waste by more than 30 percent since 1990. In addition, the in store test program will now use EarthShell containers including post consumer waste (PCW)recycled fiber in place of virgin fiber, which will comprise about seven percent of the overall package material, EarthShell`s marketing, environmental affairs and public relations vp Vincent Truant says. EarthShell has qualified a supplier that can guarantee the post-consumer-recycled fiber, which, Truant says, is claimed mostly from post-consumer milk and juice cartons. "Sourcing PCW fiber that`s able to be used in close food contact has become difficult, but we have found a source. It has taken time to find, so together with our customer, we`ll put that into validation by the end of October, beginning of November, so they [McDonald`s] can evaluate the final product."

The containers are being made for McDonald`s by Sweetheart Cup Co. in Owings Mills, MD, using what Truant calls a steam/water molding process akin to baking.

In addition to the in-store validation program with McDonald`s, EarthShell is also developing a more traditional arrangement to furnish the clamshells for Big Mac sandwiches in the U.S. As part of the original three-year contract, EarthShell was to supply McDonald`s with at least 1.8 billion of them for Big Mac sandwiches. The companies are said to still be in discussion regarding specific quantities to be supplied, which will depend upon the test results. But EarthShell indicates that it can market the containers to other customers before the conclusion of the validation testing with McDonald`s–its first customer–under the agreement. "This will not reduce our commitment to meet production demand for EarthShell Big Mac sandwich containers," points out Simon Hodson, CEO of EarthShell Corp. While there may not be specific annual purchase commitments with the deal, once approved, the containers are still intended to be used in the McDonald`s system based on the successes of the validation test results. As of presstime, Truant indicates the test should be completed within eight to 10 weeks.

EarthShell, its parent company and R&D firm E. Khashoggi Industries, LLC (EKI), which specializes in the development and commercialization of environmentally preferable materials, have stated that they have aggressively defended EKI`s patents on the packaging. EarthShell has an exclusive license to commercialize EKI patents for composite material technology to manufacture the foodservice packaging. In late September, Earthshell announced that Italian-based Novamont S.p.A. dismissed, without prejudice, three of four counts of patent infringement involving two U.S. patents.
Circle No. 1463.

[HaroldG]

http://www.packagingdigest.com/News/Images/1000np1463.jpg

Wie bekomme ich das Bild hierrein?

[starshine]

@HaroldG

(img)http://www.packagingdigest.com/News/Images/1000np1463.jpg (/img)

runde durch eckige klammern [ ] ersetzen

starshine

[HaroldG]

Test



Ok, danke starshine

[disciple]

Hi,

wenn Du schon die Zusammenfassungen der Meldungen und die "persönliche Meinung" abdruckst, wäre es wohl fair, auch den Link dazu anzugeben:

http://www.diealternativen.de

[HaroldG]

Danke für den Einwurf, natürlich hast du recht mit dem Link

Obwohl die Quelle ürsprünglich LocalBusiness.com war stehts natürlich auch noch mal unter angegeben Link.


Gruß

[starshine]

guten abend,

gute neuigkeiten von earthshell:

http://www.wallstreet-online.de/ws/community/board/thread.ph…" target="_blank" rel="nofollow ugc noopener">http://www.wallstreet-online.de/ws/community/board/thread.ph…



starshine

[HaroldG]

Hallo Starshine:

Dazu dieses hier:


2:48PM EarthShell (ERTH) 3.79 +0.70: Long-time day-trader favorite ERTH getting a lift after announcing that it has begun to roll out its Big Mac container at Chicago-area McDonalds (MCD); the deal with MCD was initially announced back on Mar 29.

[HaroldG]

In drei Tagen jetzt 40% gemacht, da kann man wirklich nicht meckern.

Gruß an alle Earthsheller