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 [...]
Study Shows Consumers Favor Sustainability in Products & Packaging The Plant Based Products Council (PBPC) recently released its annual consumer research study showing growing consumer demand for products made from renewable and sustainable materials. In general, the study found 61% of consumers are more interested in companies who produce or use plant-based products. At [...]
Constance Ißbrücker, Head of Environmental Affairs at European Bioplastics e.V. The EU Plastics Strategy presented a vision where innovative materials and alternative feedstocks would ultimately replace fossil resources. In this context, the Joint Research Centre (JRC) was tasked in 2018 by the European Commission to elaborate an appropriate life cycle assessment (LCA)-based method to evaluate the potential environmental [...]
EUBPConf2021: multi stakeholder panel discussion on bioplastics and EU policy After last year’s 100 percent virtual format, the European Bioplastics Conference was finally able to re-open its gates in Berlin and welcomed around 140 participants. The other half of the overall 320 participants attended online. During the different conference sessions and in [...]
Member portrait: Tetra Pak In each issue of the Bioplastics Newsletter, we present some facts about a member of European Bioplastics. This month, Anke Hampel, Innovation and Sustainability Director of Tetra Pak, shares some interesting insights on her company. 5 facts about Tetra Pak A one litre Tetra Pak® carton package is typically made of approximately 70% paperboard, 25% plastic and 5% aluminum. This high [...]
PLA with “20% recycled content” unveiled by Total Corbion Total Corbion PLA launched a new Luminy PLA (Poly Lactic Acid) made with chemically recycled post-industrial and post-consumer waste, which, according to the company, is the world’s first commercially available bioplastic product of its kind. Luminy PLA grades offer the same properties, characteristics, and regulatory approvals as virgin Luminy PLA, but are partially made from [...]
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, [...]
Berlin, 30 November 2021 – In June, the Joint Research Centre (JRC) of the European Commission (EC) published its methodology for Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) comparing the environmental impact of fossil-based to bio-based feedstocks for plastics production. “Together with other bio-based industries, we support LCAs as a valuable instrument to measure environmental sustainability. Unfortunately, the approach of the JRC in this study lacks important elements that are crucial for a fair, comparative assessment of bio-based and fossil-based plastics. As a result, it clearly favours conventional plastics made from fossil resources”, comments Hasso von Pogrell, Managing Director of European Bioplastics (EUBP). Over the past [...]
Berlin, 9 November 2021 – The 16th European Bioplastics (EUBP) Conference, Europe’s leading business and networking event for the biopolymer industry, will take place on 30 November and 1 December 2021. “At EUBP, we are very happy to hold this year’s conference in Berlin again. The varied programme, including an impressive speaker line-up, will [...]
Screenshot of speakers (and moderators) during the workshop on “Upcycling bioplastics from food & drink packaging”, 20 October 2021 © PRESERVE, upPE-T, UPLIFT On 20 October 2021, the EU projects PRESERVE, UPLIFT, and upPE-T held a joint workshop with around 160 participants to introduce their initiatives on upcycling bioplastics to a wider audience [...]
