DIN CERTCO offers certification for biodegradable mulch films: Mulch films help to protect plants, improve soil and increase yields in agriculture and horticulture. A major problem with conventional mulch films is the time-consuming collection of residues after use. Biodegradable mulch films offer a unique advantage as they can be left on the field to rot. The newly developed European standard EN 17033 for biodegradable mulch films clearly defines the strict requirements for these materials. DIN CERTCO now offers certification for mulch films with the certification mark ‘DIN-Geprüft’, which is granted on the basis of the certification scheme “Biodegradable in Soil” and based on EN 17033.
Online petition for compostable biowaste bags launched in Austria: The Austrian alliance for the ‘Bio-Kreislauf-Sackerl’ launched an online petition that aims to reduce plastic waste by introducing bio-based and compostable bags. According to the alliance’s initiator, the Austrian Compost and Biogas Association (KBVÖ), the initiative’s objective is to only market single-use carrier bags and fruit & vegetable bags in Austria that are compostable according to the European standard for industrial composting EN 13432 and marked clearly with a unique ‘Bio-Sackerl’ label. Combined with a consumer information campaign, the compostable bags are intended to be re-used to collect and dispose organic kitchen waste. This way, more bio-waste will be separately collected and diverted from other recycling streams, while, at the same time, the contamination of the collected organic waste with conventional, non-biodegradable plastics will be reduced. The petition can be signed at www.biosackerl.at.
€400m budget for 2018 LIFE Call for projects: The LIFE Programme of the European Commission is investing close to € 400 million to fund projects in the fields of environment & resource efficiency, climate action, and nature & biodiversity conservation. In case you are looking for opportunities to accelerate the market readiness of a product or technology, or to turn previous research into business opportunities, the LIFE Programme can provide vital financial support to help you progress to the next level and enhance commercialisation and uptake of their innovation. More information can be found on the LIFE programme website. Feel free to get in touch with European Bioplastics for a potential cooperation.
Glass fibre reinforced PLA wins Innovation Award “Bio-based Material of the Year 2018”: The Innovation Award “Bio-based Material of the Year 2018″ was awarded to three innovative bio-based materials. Arctic Biomaterials Oy from Finland was awarded first place in the competition for their PLA reinforced with special biodegradable glass fibres, an innovation which allows bio-based plastics to be used in technically demanding durable applications and still have the option of biodegradation at the end of their product life. The second winner is Cardolite Corporation (US/Belgium) and their cashew nutshell residual-based blocking agent. AIMPLAS (Spain) won third place with biodegradable nets for green beans. The special award of the jury was given to Warka Water (US) for a water collecting bio-based tower in dry areas. The winners were announced on 15 May by the participants of the “11th International Conference on Bio-based Materials” in Cologne, Germany.
