bioplastics MAGAZINE Issue 06/2021

In November 2011, Stefano Facco, New Business Development Director, Novamont, said:

Coca-Cola unveiled first prototypes

Application News

Approach or Reality?

O ne way for fashion, footwear, and upholstery manufacturers to improve their environmental footprint is to replace fossil fuel-based chemistry with renewable carbon-based materials. Stahl’s NuVera® range of renewable carbon polyurethanes can help you do exactly that.

B ioplastics can be chemically recycled into nitrogen-rich fertilizers in a facile and environmentally friendly way, as recently demonstrated by scientists from the Tokyo Institute of Technology (Tokyo Tech). Their findings pave the way towards sustainable circular systems that simultaneously address issues such as plastic pollution, petrochemical resource depletion, and world hunger.

The global biopolymer coatings market size was valued at USD 1.04 billion in 2020, is projected to hit around USD 1.79 billion by 2030 and is expected to grow at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 5.4 % from 2021 to 2030.

GSK Consumer Healthcare (Brentford, UK), the world-leading consumer healthcare business, whose brands include Sensodyne, parodontax, Voltaren, and Advil, is contributing to raising sustainability standards in the oral care industry with its first carbon neutral toothbrush.

Millions of tonnes of synthetic plastics are released to the environment each year. Of this, a fraction ends up in one of several oceanic gyres, natural locations where the currents tend to accumulate floating debris – including plastics. The largest and best known of these is the Great Pacific Garbage Patch (GPGP), which is estimated to cover an area roughly the size of the state of Texas (or France), and which seems to be increasing in size over time.

PHAradox makes the next step to custom PHA based development

The Cover Story this time may only look like a “small news” segment on page 7, but we felt that it was a story worthwhile to highlight. The first straw ban toppled in California. The community of Fort Myers Beach decided to update its plastic straw ban ordinance to allow for marine biodegradable bioplastic straws. The decision is based on the insight that new marine biodegradable technologies have emerged including PHA.

Governments and institutions have been scrambling to rectify the global environmental disaster caused by the accumulation of plastic waste. This plastic waste comes in macroscopic forms such as bottles, plastic bags, and polyester clothing. In the best-case scenario, it is regulated and dumped into overcrowded landfills or in the worst case, it escapes into the open environment as litter directly endangering the health and safety of wildlife and local populations [1]. Alarmingly an even more insidious type of plastic, ‘microplastic’, or plastic waste so small it is invisible to the eye, has been making headlines as it can be found in the water, soil, and even inside of our bodies [1]

Material News

Changing the way we think about plastics is a task facing the entire value chain, but the main focus still lies where a product’s life meets its smelly end’ – on waste management. While keeping an eye on the ongoing need to reduce climate impact, we also need to broaden our recycling technology horizons. Ultimately, high-quality recycling is what is going to be needed to make the plastics economy truly circular.

The most versatile materials platform in the world?

News

Europe and USA are leading innovation in plastic recycling and alternative plastics globally, patent data shows

Most synthetic fibres are made from fossil material sources. Since these are only available in finite quantities and their use is not always compatible with today’s environmental goals, it is necessary to develop an innovative recycling process and close material cycles.

PositivePlastics is bridging the gap