Daily News

Plastic has properties that makes it challenging to fully substitute, especially when looking at the food and drinks packaging industry. It is a lightweight and transparent material, and it comes with excellent barrier properties – protecting foods, extending shelf life, and reducing waste.

This new family of EVOPRENE® compounds, the ECO 1000 series, underlines Alphagary’s (Melton Mowbray, UK) commitment to sustainable development. The Evoprene ECO 1000 series is formulated with biobased raw materials, reducing reliance on traditional fossil-based raw materials.

BioAcetate S70 is an eco-friendly and high performing alternative material that is non-toxic and free from harmful phthalates. BioAcetate S70 uses renewable resources and is biodegradable according to ISO 14855.

CJ BIO, a division of South Korea-based (Seoul) CJ CheilJedang, recently announced that marine biodegradability testing of its environmentally friendly amorphous polyhydroxyalkanoate (PHA) material conducted by the Korea Conformity Laboratories (KCL) showed weight loss of 57 % after just 11 weeks, demonstrating the polymer’s ability to quickly biodegrade in the natural environment.

One of the major environmental issues facing the planet today is the rising levels of plastic consumption and waste. According to a recent OECD study, the world produced 460 million tonnes of plastics in 2019 and consumption will continue to rise despite an expected increase in recycling technologies deployment.

Palsgaard (Juelsminde, Denmark) has announced the introduction of an efficient new plant-based, food-grade anti-fouling additive for the polypropylene and polyethylene polymerisation process.

Aiming to produce environmentally friendly alternatives to plastic food wrap and containers, a Rutgers scientist has developed a biodegradable, plant-based coating that can be sprayed on foods, guarding against pathogenic and spoilage microorganisms and transportation damage.

Eco Safety, (Phoenix, AZ, USA) announces it has acquired Soy Technologies, a Lexington (KY, USA) based specialty chemical manufacturer. The acquisition includes all remaining brands and intellectual property of the company.

Lanxess (Cologne, Germany) is currently developing new Tepex thermoplastic composites that are being made starting from recycled or biobased raw materials.

Today, DSM Engineering Materials (Heerlen, the Netherlands) announces the launch of a new, more sustainable version of its flagship product Stanyl®: Stanyl® B-MB (Bio-based Mass Balanced), with up to 100 % bio-attributed content.

INEOS Styrolution (Frankfurt,Germany), the global leader in styrenics, has recently announced the introduction of the company’s first sustainable ASA (acrylonitrile styrene acrylate) solution as well as 100 % bio-attributed SBC (styrene-butadiene copolymer) products.

Palsgaard (Juelsminde, Denmark), a world leader in plant-based emulsifiers and polymer additives for the global food, packaging and plastics industries, will take the opportunity of K 2022 in Düsseldorf, Germany, to position itself as a preferred supplier to polymer producers, masterbatch manufacturers, and compounders seeking to lower their carbon footprint and go renewable.

Avantium (Amsterdam, the Netherlands) leading technology company in renewable chemistry, announces that Carlsberg Group (Copenhagen, Denmark) and Avantium have agreed to take the next step in the commercialisation of PEF.

Avantium N.V. (Amsterdam, the Netherlands), a leading technology company in renewable chemistry, has formed the PEF Textile Community with the five reputable global companies Antex (Anglès, Spain), BekaertDeslee (Waregem, Belgium), Chamatex (Ardoix, France), Kvadrat (Ebeltoft, Denmark) and Salomon (Annecy, France).

Mitsubishi Chemical Holdings Group (Tokyo, Japan) hereby announces that MCHG’s biobased engineering plastic, Durabio, has been adopted as an application for the front grill of the S-Cross manufactured by Suzuki Motor Corporation (Hamamatsu, Japan).

Futamura (Wigton, UK) is pleased to announce that its range of renewable and compostable films can now be laser coded to enable additional consumer communication, without the need for traditional printing. This

Based on a biomass balance approach, these newest Hytrel grades are true drop-in replacements with no need to requalify products or retool.

The Absolut Company (Stockholm, Sweden), part of Pernod Ricard (Paris, France), is working with Blue Ocean Closures (BOC), a start-up based in Sweden (Karlstad), to develop an innovative natural fibre-based closure cap for Absolut Vodka’s iconic bottle.

For the 5th time we will host the Bioplastics Business Breakfast during the K-show in Düsseldorf, Germany - if you would like to be a presenter, let us know.

Ingevity Corporation (North Charleston, SC, USA) recently announced its Capa thermoplastic grades obtained the OK biodegradable MARINE certification by TÜV Austria Bureau of Inspection and Certification.

Food packages fulfil their most important tasks when they protect food and minimise waste. Thin plastic films are nevertheless difficult to recycle, and they often end up in the wrong places after use.

Brazil and Germany Bioplastics are conquering new areas of application, from construction to automotive industry. They help to minimize dependencies on oil and gas as well as the carbon footprint. And they are also becoming interesting alternatives in terms of price.

Neste (Espoo, Finland) and Netherlands-based (Den Haag) start-up Circularise have announced a partnership to bring Circularise’s traceability software into circular polymers and chemicals supply chains.

Lenzing Group (Lenzing, Austria), a leading global producer of wood-based specialty fibres, has joined hands with UTEXBEL (Ronse, Belgium), a vertically integrated textile group and leader in Protective Wear and Workwear fabrics, to provide uniform for security personnel of the Belgian Federal Public Service for Justice (FPS Justice), using TENCEL™ branded fibres with REFIBRA™ technology and recycled polyester.

Companies announce signed letter of intent to collaborate on creating advanced products based on industry-leading Ingeo™ PLA and PHACT® PHA technologies to meet growing demand for sustainable materials across wide array of markets.

The new biocomposite plant at Norske Skog Saugbrugs in Halden, Norway was officially opened by Minister of Trade and Industry, Jan Christian Vestre, on 16 May 2022. Norske Skog sees great commercial and environmental potential in the production of biocomposite through the subsidiary CEBICO AS.

Tomorrow starts the world-renowned hybrid conference focusing on everything PLA related featuring representatives from all parts of the industry.

SK chemicals (Seongnam-si, South Korea) recently announced that it had built a mass production system with a scale of several thousand tonnes and that it has started the operation of a facility exclusively for PO3G for new biopolyol material “PO3G” (polyoxytrimethylene ether glycol).

Avantium (Amsterdam, the Netherlands), a leading technology company in renewable chemistry, announces that it has been awarded a EUR 3 million grant by the EU Horizon Europe programme for its participation in the 4-year research and development programme WaterProof.

Photoreduction of CO2 into transportable fuel like formic acid (HCOOH) is a great way of dealing with CO2's rising levels in the atmosphere. To aid in this mission, a research team from Tokyo Tech chose an easily available iron-based mineral and loaded it onto an alumina support to develop a catalyst that can efficiently convert CO2 into HCOOH with ~90 % selectivity!