Japan‘‘s NEC Corp. intend to use a new type of biodegradable plastic for their notebook personal computer parts. Japan for Sustainability report that this biodegradable plastic is made from polylactic acid with kenaf fiber as a reinforcing material.

Conventional biodegradable plastics, or bioplastics, made from polylactic acid derived from corn and other plants are said to have some shortcomings, such as the susceptibility to thermal deformation and cracking. The kenaf fiber-reinforced bioplastic, however, has more than 1.7 times the heat resistance and strength than conventional bioplastics. This improvement enables this bioplastic to be used as a material for "dummy cards" inserted into memory card slots.

NEC has been developing bioplastics containing flame retardants that do not contain harmful chemicals such as halogen and phosphorus, aiming to put them to practical use by 2006. Furthermore, the company intends to replace about 10 percent of the plastics currently used for PC cases with plant-derived bioplastics by 2010. The latest development will be the first step toward that goal