Australian researchers discover seaweed solution as PFAS alternative for fast-food packaging Flinders University materials researchers in Australia and One-Five, a German biomaterials developer, are using seaweed extracts to develop biopolymer coating materials to replace current foodservice packaging. The biomaterials are designed to replace conventional fossil-based plastic coatings used in grease-resistant quick service restaurant (QRS) packaging. The [...]
In modern agriculture you can find a great number of plastic products that help improving the efficiency and, thus, the yield of the cultivated product. However, due to certain conditions that accompany many agricultural procedures, a not-negligible share of plastic remains in the soil. Especially in areas of intensive agriculture, significant amounts of microplastic [...]
A recently conducted study which focused on the identification and quantification of microplastics in final refined compost found no remains of used EN 13432 certified industrial compostable bioplastics. If correctly composted, their use does not contribute to the increase of microplastic pollution. Microplastics and their potential environmental and health impacts have been of growing concern in recent years. Compost produced from separately [...]
Berlin, 14 December 2021 – Last week the Food and Agriculture Organisation of the United Nations (FAO) published a report assessing the sustainability of agricultural plastic products[1] recommending the replacement of non-biodegradable, conventional polymers with biodegradable, bio-based polymers. “We welcome this recognition of the environmental benefits of these bioplastic products”, commented François de Bie, [...]
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 [...]
Read in the following a guest contribution by BIO-PLASTICS EUROPE (BPE) introducing the European research project coordinated by the Hamburg University of Applied Science. For the EU Horizon 2020-funded project BIO-PLASTICS EUROPE “bio” is indeed the way forward. With 22 partners from 13 countries, the project represents both, the research and the industry sector. [...]
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 [...]
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 [...]
