PLA

Brazil’s ERT Bioplastics creates compostables for US market using Luminy® PLA

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Thomas Philipon and Mr. Hong showcasing the Luminy PLA based noodle cups. Source: TotalEnergies Corbion

TotalEnergies Corbion, a global leader in PLA bioplastics, is strengthening regionally-produced compostable food serviceware availability in the United States through its ongoing partnership with Brazil-based Earth Renewable Technologies (ERT Bioplastics). By supplying its Luminy® PLA resin, a biobased and industrially compostable material, TotalEnergies Corbion enables ERT® to manufacture durable, high-quality food serviceware such as cutlery, cups, plates, and straws. These products are designed to meet the growing demand for sustainable, compostable packaging in the U.S. while also supporting supply chain flexibility through ERT’s® operations in Brazil.

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An exclusive interview with Frederic Van Gansberghe, CEO Futerro. The Most Innovative Bioeconomy CEO 2024

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Frederic Van Gansberghe, CEO Futerro

“For me and Futerro, innovation in the bioeconomy is all about reinvention and transition. It’s about finding alternative solutions that weave sustainability, circularity, and ecological resilience into the very core of what we do.” To say it – in this exclusive interview with Il Bioeconomista – is Frederic Van Gansberghe, CEO of Futerro and the Most Innovative Bioeconomy CEO 2024.

According to him, “there is a clear gap between Europe’s ambitions and reality. Many industrial players usually ask to reduce the number of regulations and directives; in my case, I would request to increase their quality”

Interview by Mario Bonaccorso

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Futerro closed its first fund-raising worth 12 million Euros in preparation for the construction of its new biorefinery

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Frederic Van Gansberghe, CEO Futerro

Futerro S.A., a pioneering Belgian company specializing in the production of lactic acid, lactide and PLA (polylactic acid), closed its first fund-raising worth €12 million in preparation for the construction of its new biorefinery in Normandy. In addition to its historical shareholders, Finasucre and Compagnie du Bois Sauvage, Futerro has a new shareholder, Cybelle, whose shareholder is a major player in the packaging sector for the food industry, via the Cedap group.

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TotalEnergies-Corbion’s Luminy PLA powers Bioworks’ innovative PlaX fabrics

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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.

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The relevance of PLA bioplastics in China’s sustainable future is growing

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Total Corbion Thailande
TotalEnergies Corbion PLA is a global technology leader in Poly Lactic Acid (PLA) and lactide monomers. PLA is a biobased and biodegradable polymer made from annually renewable resources, offering a reduced carbon footprint versus many traditional plastics. The Luminy® PLA portfolio, which includes both high heat and standard PLA grades, is an innovative material that is used in a wide range of markets from packaging to consumer goods, fibers and automotive.

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.

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An exclusive interview with Thomas Philipon, CEO TotalEnergies Corbion: “Today the European Commission is at a crossroad when it comes to bioplastics, and it needs to tell us where they intend to go”

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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

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Compostable Coffee Capsules Made with NatureWorks’ Ingeo Biopolymer Score Highest Sustainability Marks in New Study 

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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.

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NatureWorks made significant progress on the construction of the new PLA facility in Thailand

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NatureWorks, a leading manufacturer of polylactic acid (PLA) biopolymers made from renewable resources headquartered in Minnesota (USA), made significant progress on the construction of their new fully integrated Ingeo PLA biopolymer manufacturing facility in Nakhon Sawan Province, Thailand.

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TotalEnergies Corbion: no technical barrier exist that prevent an effective separation of PLA from other plastic waste

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With the aim of determining the sortability of PLA from municipal mixed plastic waste, TotalEnergies Corbion and TOMRA Recycling conducted a sorting test in August 2022. The outcome confirmed, as has been confirmed many times before – the French-Dutch company claims – that sorting PLA from other plastics waste is easy and straight-forward.

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Total Corbion PLA marks 100kT Luminy PLA production milestone 

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Total Corbion Thailande

Total Corbion PLA’s plant in Rayong Thailand has, since its grand opening in 2019, earlier this summer reached a cumulative production volume of 100kT of Luminy® PLA. The plant is now running at name plate capacity of 75kT annually in order to meet the evergrowing demand for PLA bioplastics.

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