bioplastics MAGAZINE Issue 01/2016

When China-based advanced plastics material producer Jinhui Zhaolong, decided several years ago to expand into biodegradable polymer technology, the company was mainly motivated by the realization that a more sustainable approach was needed toward industrial development.

This year the prestigious Bioplastics Oskar was again given to two companies, albeit for one new development: Mitsubishi Chemical Corp. and Sharp Corp. (Japan) jointly received the prize for the development of the front panel of Sharp’s new smartphone made from Mitsubishi’s biobased engineering plastic DURABIO™.

Royal DSM has announced that its high performance bio-based EcoPaXX® polyamide has been chosen as the basis for a series of new high temperature resistant abrasive monofilaments from the world’s leading abrasive monofilament producer Hahl-Pedex.

Avery Dennison’s (Oegstgeest, the Netherlands) focus on sustainability was in the spotlight at Labelexpo Europe 2015 with the introduction of two biobased polyethylene label films.

Mitsubishi Chemical Corporation (headquartered in Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo, Japan) and Sharp Corporation (Osaka, Japan) cooperate in applying Mitsubishi’s biobased engineering plastic DURABIO™ for the front panel of Sharp’s new smartphone, the AQUOS CRYSTAL 2.

Electronics have radically changed the way people live and communicate. The sheer number of gadgets owned has risen astronomically, with analysts at German market research firm GfK reporting that 1.2 billion smartphones alone were sold globally in 2014, and that in the first quarter of 2015, smartphone unit demand was up +7 % on the same period of last year.

Germany-based JELU-WERK has developed a wood-plastic compound that, according to the company, offers a superior solution to the toy industry.

First, it was a coffee cup made of coffee-based filament. Now, 3D printing filament manufacturer 3Dom USA has introduced its newest eco-friendly product, called Buzzed.

A United Nations report that aimed to verify a thesis that plastics considered biodegradable may play an important role in reducing marine litter, has released findings that indicate that this thesis won’t fly.

Films, Flexibles, Bags is the first highlight topic of this latest issue, which has come out only a few days before the Italian bag law celebrates what will be its 5th anniversary.

In February, bioplastics MAGAZINE reported on the initial decision handed down at the end of January by Chief Administrative Law Judge D. Michael Chappell regarding the biodegradability claims of ECM Biofilms Inc.

Rapid Textile Prototyping at ITA in Aachen

Marieke Havermans is a Dutch entrepreneur who is fast taking the idiom “from cradle to grave” to an entirely new level.

Lately, European Bioplastics (EUBP) has noticed an increasing malpractice by producers of fragmentation additives for conventional plastics referring to the European standard for industrial composting, EN 13432, when marketing their products.

This 700-page book is a compilation of key topics associated with biodegradable polymers.

In addition to a wide range of standard plastic housings and tuning knobs for electronic devices, OKW Gehäusesysteme from Buchen, Germany, also manufactures products that are made from specialized materials.

Metabolix (Cambridge, Massachusetts, USA) recently announced its latest findings on the multifunctional benefits of bio-based PHA copolymers in a range of applications for polyvinyl chloride (PVC) and wood polymer composites.

The first international conference on Microplastics in the Environment, organised by the nova-Institute on 23 – 24 November 2015 in Cologne, Germany attracted 170 participants from 20 countries.

At this year’s Cartes Secure Connexions digital security trade show, BI-AX International, a US manufacturer of oriented film, teamed up with biopolymer producer NatureWorks for the introduction of an entirely new line of Evlon biaxially oriented sheet products.

Two bioplastics companies, Bio4Pack and The Bioplastic Factory, both of which are headquartered in the Netherlands, have collaborated on the development and marketing of a new biobased laminated film that is suitable for food packaging applications.

Italian retail chains are always looking for sustainable packaging solutions in response to consumers’ increased desire to reduce the depletion of fossil resources and to fight climate change.

Almost 5 years after the bag ban law in Italy came into force, bioplastics MAGAZINE wanted first-hand information on the current situation in Italy.

In the last decades much work has been done in the field of carbon dioxide capture, purification, and transformation into useful and new fuels, chemicals and polymers.

Although polylactides (PLA) entered the polymer market some time ago, the application fields are still restricted by a number of drawbacks.

“Why do we use sunflowers?

Buying responsibly has become a big issue over the last few decades: fair trade coffee, fair trade clothes, even fair trade wedding rings are available in the Western markets.

The world’s first PHA from sewage water has arrived. And, while sewage may not sound exactly like the most appealing source of bioplastic, this first kilo of sewage-based PHA represents a truly groundbreaking innovation.

European Bioplastics hosted its 10th European Bioplastics Conference, entitled Shaping Smart Solutions this year on 5/6 November 2015 in Berlin, attracting more than 350 participants from industry, policy, research, and media. Once again, the conference proved to be an ideal opportunity to learn about the trends and developments - large and small – taking place in the dynamic bioplastics world.