European Bioplastics concluded two days of insightful presentations, panel discussions and market data analysis. Around 350 attendees gathered in Berlin and online to attend the 19th edition of the European Bioplastics Conference, EBC24.
UPM Raflatac has made further progress towards a more circular economy for plastics and a future beyond fossils during 2023. The progress towards the 2025 commitments is detailed in the New Plastics Economy Global Commitment 2024 Progress Report by the Ellen MacArthur Foundation and the UN Environment Programme (UNEP). UPM Raflatac joined the Global Commitment as the first label materials company in October 2018.
The ReBioCycle project kickoff took place at the University College Dublin on 2-3 October 2024. European Bioplastics and its members, including TotalEnergies Corbion, AIMPLAS, Novamont, Corbion, Sulapac, and Kaneka are amongst the 20 partners that have joined forces for developing and implementing “A new European blueprint for circular bioplastics upcycling solutions”, under the lead of the University College Dublin and BiOrbic Bioeconomy SFI Research Centre.
TotalEnergies-Corbion and Japanese Bioworks joined forces: PlaX™ developed a fabric that blends cotton with plant-based PolyLactic Acid (PLA), derived from sugarcane. Bioworks is a leading Japanese innovator in sustainable textiles, stating that PLA bioplastics enhance the antimicrobial properties of fabrics.
The Compostable By Design Platform (CBDP) was launched in Europe by a group of leaders of compostable materials value chain with TotalEnergies Corbion has one of the steering group members. The platform gathers stakeholders representing the entire value chain from raw material producers, converters, brand owners to waste management organizations as well as testing and certification bodies.
TotalEnergies Corbion presented Luminy® PLA bioplastics in Shanghai at Chinaplas 2024, April 23-26, Asia’s premier plastics and rubber trade fair. This was an opportunity to highlight the work in the region, with customers such as Changsu. It also showcased how easily companies can transition to PLA bioplastics solutions and lower their products’ carbon emissions by up to 75% versus conventional plastic solutions.
Thomas Philipon is the CEO of TotalEnergies Corbion, a global leader in the marketing, sales and production of PLA (Poly Lactic Acid). He is also the Most Innovative Bioeconomy CEO 2023 according to the readers of Il Bioeconomista. In this exclusive interview with us, Philipon talks about the meaning of innovation in the bioeconomy, the role played by TotalEnergies Corbion and above all the European legislative framework to support the ecological transition, in comparison with USA and China. “Europe – he states – is leading in the bioeconomy, but needs to support sectors like bioplastics, otherwise the risk is that we develop the know-how, but other areas of the world (USA and China), will scale up the production of these products”.
Interview by Mario Bonaccorso
A new study reveals that coffee capsules made with Ingeo™️ PLA biopolymer from NatureWorks outperform aluminum, conventional plastics, and other compostable capsules when it comes to sustainability performance. The independent study conducted by Netherlands-based Wageningen Food & Biobased Research, a part of Wageningen University & Research (WUR), assessed the environmental impact and circularity of single-use coffee capsules made from compostable biobased materials, aluminum, and conventional plastics through multiple end-of-life scenarios including industrial composting, recycling, incineration, and landfill. The study also accounted for the fate of the spent coffee grounds within these capsules, finding that compostable capsules keep both the coffee grounds and capsule materials in the loop via organics recycling, making them the most sustainable option. The thermoformed Ingeo-based capsules used in the study were produced by NatureWorks’ partner and food packaging producer, Flo SpA.
SABIC, a global leader in the chemical industry, is now offering bio-based versions of all NORYL™, Flexible NORYL, NORYL GTX™ and NORYL PPX™ resin grades to help customers meet increasingly rigorous sustainability goals. The bio-based versions, formulated with polyphenylene ether (PPE) resin feedstocks certified under International Sustainability & Carbon Certification (ISCC) PLUS, provide properties similar to those of fossil-based grades. Customers may select from multiple levels of bio-based content for their chosen NORYL product.
“One of the great challenges is to use fewer resources by regenerating territories and taking care of biodiversity and soil health. Diversifying bio-based value chain is then a crucial point to meet the challenge of raw material shortages.” To say it – in this interview with Il Bioeconomista – is Roberto Marangon, Senior Application Development Manager at Novamont, the Italian company which is one of the leading players in the world bioplastics’ market. With him we talk about innovation in the bioplastics sector and the next steps of the company headquartered in Novara.
Interview by Mario Bonaccorso
IL BIOECONOMISTA 