Europe’s bioplastics industry needs a level playing field

"With Europe’s commitment to transitioning to a circular economy, bioplastics are high on the political agenda thanks to their potential to close the carbon loop and decouple economic growth from depleting our planet’s natural resources. Despite this, the bioplastics industry in Europe is still hampered by the lack of a level playing field“, writes Hasso von Pogrell, Managing Director of EUBP, for The Parliament Magazine.

How a strong EU bioeconomy can deliver on the UN Sustainability Development Goals

On 9 July, the European Bioeconomy Alliance (EUBA) invited EU policy makers and relevant stakeholders to join a discussion forum on the ‘Benefits of the Bioeconomy‘ in Brussels. The forum discussed how a strong EU bioeconomy can contribute to achieving the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). 

Member portrait: University of Bologna

In each issue of the Bioplastics Bulletin, we present five facts about a member of European Bioplastics. This month, Paola Fabbri, Associate Prof. Of Materials Science and Technology at University of Bologna, and Maurizio Fiorini, Associate Prof. Of Principles of Chemistry for Applied Technologies, shares some information on one of the oldest and leading universities in the field of bioeconomy and biotechnology research.

World's first biobased, circular car created using Luminy from Total Corbion PLA

The world’s first bio-based, circular car has been successfully designed and built in the Netherlands by the Technical University of Eindhoven. This is the first time that a car chassis and all bodywork has been made from natural and bio-based materials - no metal or traditional plastics were used for the structural parts of the car. The parts are made up of light and strong sandwich panels, based on natural fiber flax and Luminy® PLA supplied by Total Corbion PLA.

Sustainable feedstock sourcing

As the market for bioplastics grows, inevitable questions around the sustainability of bio-based products continue to be of relevance to the brands and organisations who are driving this growth. We sat down with Rolf Hogan, Executive Director of the Roundtable on Sustainable Biomaterials, to discuss the key trends in the bioeconomy, the kinds of specific sustainability risks involved for the bioplastics industry, and what we can look forward to at this year’s RSB Annual Meeting, held alongside the EUBP Conference. EUBP members are entitled to a discount of 15% to attend the RSB Annual Meeting – simply use the code 15RSB when purchasing your ticket.

News in brief

• Thermoformable bio-based material to replace fossil-based plastics in furniture
  
• Natural History Museum uses bio-based Lego elements to teach about sustainability
• Biological routes for CO₂ conversion into platform chemicals for the production of plastics

Join us at the European Bioplastics Conference 2018

The 13^th edition of the annual European Bioplastics Conference, taking place on 4/5 December 2018 at the Titanic Chaussee Hotel in Berlin, will focus on advanced innovations in bioplastics as well as on environmental aspects and opportunities for growth. A dedicated session on sustainability criteria for plastic products will discuss the latest standardisation efforts in this field and further look at opportunities and shortcomings of the life-cycle-approach. A detailed look into this year’s programme of the leading business and networking event for the bioplastics industry will be available after the summer break. You can already secure your place and register on the conference website.