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 [...]
Yum China launches plastic reduction and sustainable packaging initiatives Yum, the operator of fast-food chain KFC and restaurant brand Pizza Hut announced new environmentally friendly packaging initiatives that are expected to reduce its amount of non-degradable plastics by approximately 8,000 tonnes annually starting this year. Some of the initiatives include replacing existing plastic packaging [...]
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 [...]
LEGO Group to invest up to US$ 400 million for sustainability and social responsibility initiatives The LEGO Group announces plans to invest up to US$ 400 million over three years to accelerate sustainability and social responsibility initiatives. The investment will cover both long-term investments and ongoing costs. As a next step, the company will [...]
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 [...]
Anthony Maher, Development Technologist at Ingevity In each issue of the Bioplastics Bulletin, we present some facts about a member of European Bioplastics. This month, Anthony Maher, Development Technologist at Ingevity, shares some interesting insights on his company. 4 facts about Ingevity UK Ltd., United Kingdom Ingevity provides specialty chemicals, high-performance [...]
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 [...]
BASF will publish carbon footprints for 45,000 products BASF will release data on the carbon footprints of its entire portfolio of approximately 45,000 products by the end of 2021, as it seeks to help customers measure and reduce emissions through the supply chain. The chemicals major says the calculated footprints for each product will [...]
