On 16 January 2018, the European Commission published its Communication ‘A European Strategy for Plastics in a Circular Economy’. According to the Commission, this proposal is an ambitious step towards making the European plastics system more resource-efficient and drive the change from a linear to a circular system. Bioplastics provide crucial impulses for innovation [...]
Concerns about harmful chemicals, health and environmental effects lead more and more parents and toymakers alike to switch to high-quality, sustainable, and safe toys made from bio-based instead from petroleum-based materials. Next to a growing number of new start-ups developing bioplastics toys, big players such as Lego and Hasbro are also investing heavily in [...]
PHA from sewage sludge enters demonstration phase: The Phario project produces PHA at the biological sewage treatment plant in Bath, the Netherlands, which is run by the Brabantse Delta water board. The processes required for purifying sewage water breeds bacteria that can produce 0.47 grams of PHA per gram of organic matter in the [...]
The new German packaging law (Verpackungsgesetz, effective from January 2019, we reported earlier this year) includes provisions under which the participation fees for packaging shall be adapted in order to incentivise the use of recycled and renewable materials. The consequential increase in bio-based plastic packaging and the expected rise of new types of materials [...]
Berlin, 29 November 2017 – The results of European Bioplastics’ annual market data update, presented today at the 12th European Bioplastics Conference in Berlin, confirm a stable growth of the global bioplastics industry. “The global market for bioplastics is predicted to grow by 20 percent over the next five years. The transition to a [...]
Perstorp launches world’s first portfolio of renewable polyols: In response to the fast-growing global need for more sustainable coatings, resins and synthetic lubricants, Perstorp has developed a portfolio of renewable alternatives to the essential polyols Pentaerythritol (Penta), Trimethylolpropane (TMP), and Neopentyl glycol (Neo). Two new polyols – Evyron and Neeture - complete the company’s [...]
New bio-based PE films: UPM Raflatac, a global manufacturer of label materials, extends its range of film face materials for the European market with a new plant-based material that provides a sustainable alternative to fossil-based films for a wide variety of end uses. RafBio PE performs just like standard PE film, and its excellent [...]
Castelldefels, Spain, 17 July 2017 – The EU-funded PolyBioSkin project commenced work on the development of biopolymers for high-demand skin-contact applications. At the end of June 2017, the project consortium, comprising of 12 partners, including European Bioplastics (EUBP), met in Castelldefels in Spain for the kick-off meeting hosted by project coordinator IRIS to discuss [...]
DuPont wins 2017 European Company of the Year Award for bio-based materials: DuPont Industrial Biosciences (DuPont) has been awarded the 2017 European Company of the Year Award for bio-based materials, reflecting the company’s position “at the vanguard of innovation, developing cutting-edge, bio-based materials that improve customers' lives and meet market needs for high-performing, sustainable [...]
The ongoing revision of the European Directive on Packaging and Packaging Waste (94/62/EC) represents a concrete opportunity for the bioeconomy sector in Europe and the transition to a circular economy. Earlier in March this year, the European Parliament voted, for the first time ever, for an amendment of this directive that requires Member States [...]
