“Plastics play an essential role in modern society. However, their value chain is currently unsustainable, contributing to the generation of climate changing emissions and increasing waste and pollution. Reducing such impacts while retaining plastics’ usefulness requires a shift towards a more circular and sustainable plastics system”, states the European Environment Agency (EEA) in a [...]
In in the context of the currently discussed REACH restriction of microplastics, several business associations representing producers of biobased and biodegradable materials, including European Bioplastics, developed a joint letter to raise concerns about the proposed definition of “natural polymers” and its impact on biopolymers. The signatories’ members are companies that industrially produce solutions based [...]
In each issue of the European Bioplastics Newsletter, we present 5 facts about a member of European Bioplastics. In this issue, Dr. Afsaneh Nabifar, Head of Global Market Development Biopolymers at BASF, shares some interesting insights on her company. 5 Facts about: BASF, Germany At BASF, we create chemistry for a sustainable future. We [...]
Ecodesign for a circular economy The Ecodesign for Sustainable Products Regulation proposed by the European Commission in 2022 seeks to reduce the overall environmental impact of a wide range of products. To be effective, it should not only focus on individual products but also towards increasing collection, sorting, repair, and recirculation systems. 1,039 terawatt [...]
The difficult relationship between science, citizen science, and mass communication. A negative example Guest article by Francesco Degli-Innocenti, Novamont: “Recently, an article titled ‘The Big Compost Experiment: Using citizen science to assess the impact and effectiveness of biodegradable and compostable plastics in UK home composting’ caused quite a stir. I must acknowledge that I [...]
Braskem announces project to evaluate production of biobased polypropylene Braskem announced a project to evaluate an investment in producing carbon negative bio-based polypropylene (PP) in the U.S. The project would utilize Braskem's proven, proprietary technology to convert bioethanol into physically segregated bio-based polypropylene. Braskem is exploring partnership opportunities for this project with several clients, [...]
Berlin, 6 December 2022 - European Bioplastics presented today at the 17th EUBP Conference a positive outlook for the global bioplastics industry. After a stagnation of the overall plastics production in 2020, mainly due to challenges posed by the Covid-19 pandemic, there is now a new momentum for global bioplastics production. Capacity of production [...]
Erik Pras, Global Director Sales & Marketing at BIOTEC In each issue of the European Bioplastics Newsletter, we present 5 facts about a member of European Bioplastics. In this issue, Erik Pras, Global Director Sales & Marketing at BIOTEC, shares some interesting insights on his company. 5 facts about: BIOTEC, Germany BIOTEC [...]
More is needed to embrace the benefits of the bioeconomy On 30 November, the Commission published a proposal for a Regulation on Packaging and Packaging Waste (PPWR) and a Communication for a policy framework for bio-based, biodegradable and compostable plastics. The European Bioeconomy Alliance (EUBA), representing 13 leading European organisations from various sectors active [...]
Compostables could help fight plastic pollution A recently conducted survey commissioned by TIPA, a manufacturer of compostable packaging solutions headquartered in Israel, and conducted by YouGov has revealed that a large majority of UK adults favour the implementation of a collection system for all recyclable or compostable packaging from households across the UK. The [...]
