Open the document Industrially compostable plastics play an essential role in putting the envisioned circular economy into practice. With reference to the European waste hierarchy, industrially compostable plastics provide added value through organic recycling. This includes both industrial composting and anaerobic digestion. Certified industrially compostable plastic products such as biowaste bags or fresh [...]
European Bioplastics has launched a series of informal talks focusing on alternative sustainable feedstock sources for bioplastics. The series will run from April until an in-person event in Brussels in October 2024 where not only outstanding researchers will be invited, but also companies who are interested in taking up the innovative solutions and policymakers [...]
To retain a strong EU bioeconomy, the biopolymers industry needs to be prioritised and acknowledged for its added value in achieving the ambitious goals in the EU Green Deal. The recent EU Bioeconomy Strategy Progress Report in 2022 highlights the bioeconomy sector’s role in boosting the economic wealth across Europe. The average share of [...]
Open the document The recent EU Bioeconomy Strategy Progress Report (2022)* provides the most relevant and publicly available data on the EU’s biobased chemicals, pharma, plastics, and rubber sector. According to the report, the role of bioeconomy sectors in generating economic wealth has improved in the past decade in the EU-27. One of [...]
Open the document Growth resumption: global production capacities of bioplastics 2023-2028 Bioplastics currently represent roughly 0.5 percent of the over 400 million tonnes of plastic produced annually*. After a period of stagnation over the past few years, the overall global plastic production is picking up again in 2023. This development is driven by [...]
Open the document What are certified soil-biodegradable mulch films? What are the advantages of certified soil-biodegradable mulch films? Do certified soil-biodegradable mulch films fully biodegrade in soil? How does the market for agricultural plastics and certified soil- biodegradable mulch film currently look like? Do certified soil-biodegradable plastics create persistent microplastics? Do certified soil-biodegradable [...]
A new publication by the Renewable Carbon Initiative challenges the commonly held belief that using food and feed crops for bio-based materials is detrimental to food security. Against the backdrop of a global hunger crisis, the paper argues that the biomass debate is flawed, subjective, and lacks sufficient evidence. It suggests that other factors [...]
Traditional polymer manufacturing processes heavily rely on fossil fuels as feedstock, contributing to greenhouse gas emissions and the depletion of finite resources. The utilisation of biomass in the plastics sector has evolved to offer sustainable alternatives to conventional fossil-based materials. By leveraging biogenic feedstock, the industry can reduce its environmental impact and promote circularity. [...]
Open the document To increase the amount of plastics based on renewable resources on the market and decrease dependence on depletable feedstocks, such as crude oil, the mass balance approach is a complementary step that can be necessary for a fossil-free future. In line with ISO 22095, the mass balance approach is a [...]
Open the document The bioeconomy holds the potential to provide innovative biobased materials and packaging solutions to ensure the sustainability and competitiveness of the EU packaging sector while decoupling economic growth from the use of fossil-based resources. Despite the ambitious climate neutrality target declared in the Green Deal, the Commission’s proposal for a [...]
