Constance Ißbrücker, Head of Environmental Affairs at European Bioplastics e.V. The Single-use Plastics Directive (SUPD) coming into effect on 3 July 2021 will not only ban several plastic applications, such as cutlery, plates or drinking straws from the market. It will also prohibit all products made from so-called oxo-degradable plastics. The Directive [...]
Contrary to popular belief, certified, industrial compostable organic waste bags neither bear harm for soil or human health, nor do they contribute to the problem of microplastics, as experts underline. On the contrary, they convey chances for a higher quality and quantity of collected organic waste. Read in the following a guest commentary by the Verbund kompostierbare Produkte e.V. (Association for Compostable Products / “Verbund”). For many years now, the [...]
For quite some time now, the European Commission (EC) is putting a special focus on biodegradable and compostable polymers when assessing the general role of bioplastics. This becomes obvious when looking at the number of related EU studies and reports that had been published in 2020. The last publication in this regard was the [...]
This year has already seen quite an impressive number of studies, reports, and additional publications related to bioplastics that were published by the European Commission (EC). Most of them contribute to the development of a framework for bioplastics included in the EC’s Circular Economy Action Plan. For the bioplastics industry, a clear framework is [...]
Berlin, 17 December 2020 – This week the European Commission’s Scientific Advice Mechanism (SAM) published a report, entitled “Biodegradability of plastics in the open environment”. The report identifies applications of biodegradable polymers which contribute towards achieving a circular economy and tackle the challenge of managing the EU’s waste. “We are pleased to see that [...]
Maija Pohjakallio, Sustainability Director at Sulapac Ltd., Finland In each issue of the Bioplastics Bulletin, we present some facts about a member of European Bioplastics. This month, Maija Pohjakallio, Sustainability Director at Sulapac, shares some interesting insights on her company. 5 facts about Sulapac Ltd., Finland Sulapac® accelerates and inspires the plastic [...]
Berlin, 29 October 2020 - Products made from bio-based plastics must undergo the same testing procedures as conventional plastic products to access the market of the European Union (EU). Thereby a health risk for consumers is excluded. Plastics intended to be certified as biodegradable or compostable must undergo additional tests. "Products made of bioplastics [...]
The European Environment Agency (EEA) recently published its new report “Biodegradable and compostable plastics – challenges and opportunities”. The report highlights many positive aspects of biodegradable and compostable plastics. Unfortunately, its interpretation in several media outlets focused exclusively on the few critical assumptions the report makes regarding consumer perception. This resulted in a distorted [...]
Berlin, 9 September 2020 – In response to the new report “Biodegradable and compostable plastics – challenges and opportunities” by the European Environment Agency (EEA), European Bioplastics (EUBP) highlights the need to acknowledge successful precedents in the deployment of these innovative materials in collaboration with a receptive community of consumers. Unfortunately, several media outlets [...]
António Mendes Ferreira, CEO of United Biopolymers S.A. In each issue of the Bioplastics Bulletin, we present five facts about a member of European Bioplastics. This month, António Mendes Ferreira, CEO of United Biopolymers S.A., shares some interesting insights on his company. 5 facts about United Biopolymers S.A., Portugal United Biopolymers is [...]
