Review of the EBC 23
That’s a wrap
380 attendees gathered in Berlin and online to attend the 18th edition of the European Bioplastics Conference, EBC23.
In their opening remarks, Lars Börger and Mariagiovanna Vetere, Acting Co-Chairs of EUBP, mentioned the importance of sustainability engagements. “We are living in crazy times, the European Commission has wrapped up most of its legislations by now, the Packaging and Packaging Waste Regulation is still under ongoing strong negotiations. Beyond Europe, negotiations of the UN on the Plastics Treaty have been intense as well and show that, unfortunately, every day we are further away from our targets. At the same time, companies are dedicated to including sustainability in their DNA and setting ambitious targets. From a niche market, bioplastics are now becoming mainstream, and it is good news for sustainability” said Lars Börger.
“During the two days of the conference, you will encounter innovation, because our materials are fit for the future. Our world, our products, are preparing for the next challenges. We are a niche, growing sector, but it manages to keep its strong nature. It is rooted in sustainability, in the strong beliefs in what we do” added Mariagiovanna Vetere.
The sessions highlighted the importance of regulation, playing a more important role in our lives every day. They also put forward innovation and the partnerships along the value chain, necessary to build a strong ecosystem dedicated to circularity.
In the policy panel, industry and policymakers reinforced the role of the bioeconomy in achieving the European Green Deals’ objectives and the need for a political framework to foster innovation beyond financing R&D.
The market data panel revealed that the industry is producing at nearly full capacities. There is still room for growth and innovation, but it’s a strong sign to the industry that scaling up is possible.
“The growth in bioplastics production capacity should be understood in the broader global context of a climate crisis, escalating energy costs, and disrupted value chains. Despite these challenges, the capacity for bioplastics production is on the rise, underscoring the resilience and significance of our industry”, stated Hasso von Pogrell, Managing Director of European Bioplastics (EUBP).
“Thank you again, thank you to the staff and to the attendees, this year we had a very strong base of participants, with close to 400 attendees. It is a clear sign that the sector is growing” declared Mariagiovanna Vetere in her closing remarks.
“COP28 just ended yesterday, with the words ‘transforming away from fossil’. During our conference, the world has decided to leave fossil” concluded Lars Börger.
This year, bioplastics’ leading business and networking platform was held in a hybrid format attracting 380 participants, on-site and online, from all around the world. At the conference exhibition, around 40 companies, researchers and institutions showcased a high diversity of new products, materials, and applications.
We would like to thank our sponsors, AIMPLAS, BASF, BIOTEC, CJ Biomaterials, Covation Bio, DIN CERTCO, FKuR, LG Chem, NatureWorks, Neste, Sphera, Sukano, Sulzer, TotalEnergies Corbion, TÜV Austria, Wacker, Zhongke, as well as our media partners EcoPlastics in Packaging, EUWID, Green Chemicals Blog, Go!PHA, nova Institute, Packaging Insights, Plastics Information Europe, Renewable Carbon Plastics, Packaging Europe, Renewable Matter, Roundtable on Sustainable Biomaterials, Sustainable Plastics, and World Resources Forum, for their support. We would also like to thank all our speakers for their valuable contributions.
