Bio-resin makers are going to have to improve their product to win business from cell-phone giant Nokia Oyj.
The Helsinki, Finland-based firm tried to use biodegradable resins in packaging for its phones.
After solving some initial problems with heat resistance and brittleness, Nokia began using the materials in early 2004, according to senior packaging designer Johanna Liipola.
But the heat-resistance problems resurfaced. High temperatures turned several cell-phone packages into misshapen lumps. As a result, Nokia dropped the bio-resins from its product mix in mid-2005.
Yet the firm remains very interested in the bio-resin field.
``We still want to use a material that can be reused, recycled and disposed of safely,'' Liiplola said at Commercializing Bioresins 2005 in Atlanta. ``But future developments are needed for mass production.''
