Daily News

Francesco Degli lnnocenti of Novamont comments on the results of a study by Accinelli et al., recently published by Waste Management titled “Persistence in soil of microplastic films from ultra-thin compostable plastic bags and implications on soil Aspergillus flavus population “

Bioplastic processing procedures are constantly evolving. As the consumer demand for biodegradable, eco-friendly products increases, the subsequent need for bioplastic packaging will as well. Although not all bioplastics are suitable for injection blow moulding, there are a number that are.

Clariant has announced some good news for the development of sustainable compostable products. The company's biobased processing & dispersing additives for biopolymers used in plastics– Licocare® RBW Vita range, Licolub® FA 1 and Licowax® C – have earned the “OK compost INDUSTRIAL” certificate.

Bio-Fed has announced the introduction of what it claims is a more further developed version of its home compostable and soil degradable injection moulding grade of M-Vera GP 1012.

Over the next three years, Senbis in Emmen, the Netherlands, will be investing €5.5 million through its new subsidiary SPIC Facilities BV, in a testing facility for the development of sustainable plastics.

Finland's Neste and Jokey, a leading German international manufacturer of rigid plastic packaging, have started collaborating with a target to develop the market for rigid packaging from sustainable renewable and recycled materials for food and non-food applications.

PolyOne announced it is adding production of both post-industrial recycled nylon grades and bio-based thermoplastic elastomers in Europe. This strengthened sustainability portfolio will support circular economy goals and provide additional eco-conscious material options for EU customers.

An estimated 1.5 billion tyres are discarded annually worldwide. Reducing this number is a challenge for the automotive industry, governments, and policymakers. An alternative is to use bioplastics and recycled plastic...

Covestro is introducing a new polycarbonate film with more than 50 percent of its carbon content sourced from plant-based biomass. Makrofol EC is the first partially bio-based film in the company’s product portfolio.

Global engineering and consultancy firm Worley has been awarded a FEED (front-end engineering design) to develop Avantium’s flagship plant that will support the transition to a bio-based economy for plastics. The plant will produce 100% plant-based FDCA – a key building block for many chemicals and plastics.

European Bioplastics, the association, representing the bioplastics industry in Europe, is pleased to announce the appointment of Joanna Dupont-Inglis as new Head of European Public Affairs. She assumed her position on 1 June 2020 and will be based in Brussels.

Italy-based Ticinoplast, a specialised producer of polyethylene film for packaging, has developed a new range of films as a sustainable, compostable alternative to conventional packaging films.

Latvijas Finieris, a global leading developer, producer and supplier of birch plywood products, has together with Stora Enso taken the next steps towards replacing phenol – in resins used in plywood – with lignin. This new lignin-based glue significantly reduces the carbon footprint of plywood products all the way from production to final end-use applications without compromising on technical performance.

Although cars are a long way from becoming environmentally ‘friendly’, the use of bio-based materials is gaining traction, especially in the interior. And now there’s even vegan seat covers!

In an open letter addressed to UK Secretary of State George Eustace, a group of some 7 associations and Greenpeace urgently request a total ban on the use, sale and distribution in the UK of oxo degradable plastics, aka oxo biodegradable, oxo fragmentable or bio-assimilable plastics.

All around the world today, resources are being mobilized to fight the novel COVID 19 virus; from sanitary systems to industries and citizen actions. All nations are committed to find solutions that can reinforce and support medical procedures, hospitals and health structures.

French bioplastics startup Lactips has raised 13 million euros in new capital in an investment round led by Bpifrance’s SPI (Société de Projet Industriel) fund, managed on behalf of the French Government as part of the Investments for the Future Program (PIA), and Diamond Edge Ventures (DEV), the innovation investment arm of Mitsubishi Chemical Holdings Corporation (MCHC).

According to the European Strategy for Plastics, launched in 2018, all plastic packaging placed on the EU market must be either reusable or easily recyclable by the year 2030. Now, Finnish start-up Woodly Ltd has developed and commercialised a new material that is already able to satisfy this requirement in full.

Braskem’s production of I’m green™ polyethylene, a bio-based plastic made from sugarcane, was recognized 26 May by the United Nations Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (ECLAC) and the Global Compact Network Brazil as one of the most transformational cases in sustainable development in Brazil, in the Industry & Energy category.

BASF and Red Avenue New Materials Group have signed a joint agreement that grants Red Avenue New Materials Group the license to produce and sell certified compostable aliphatic-aromatic co-polyester (PBAT) according to high BASF quality standards.

Neste and Covestro are starting a strategic cooperation in Europe to promote the use of sustainable raw materials in plastics production. Covestro will be supplied with material from renewable sources to replace a significant portion of the fossil raw materials used to date in the manufacture of polycarbonates.

TÜV Austria, an independent certification company has authorised the laboratories of the Packaging, Transport and Logistics Research Center (ITENE), located in Valencia (Spain), to carry out home compostability tests. This is in addition to the certification of industrial compostability testing obtained by this research centre from the same entity.

UPM Raflatac launches UPM Raflatac Forest Film PE to complement its range of sustainable film labeling solutions. The new PE film label takes UPM Raflatac forward in its quest for a smarter future beyond fossils, decreasing the use of fossil-based virgin raw materials in home and personal care labeling applications.

Beiersdorf and Evonik have reached an agreement on a research partnership. Its aim is to develop sustainable raw materials for care products, using carbon dioxide (CO2) as the starting material.

A faster, more efficient way of recycling plant-based “bioplastics” has been developed by a team of scientists at the Universities of Birmingham and Bath.

Renewable chemistry company Avantium in the Netherlands has announces the nomination of Dr. Cynthia Arnold and Dr. Trudy Schoolenberg for appointment to its Supervisory Board. The Supervisory Board will propose the appointments to an Extraordinary General Meeting, to be scheduled in the fall of 2020.

Stora Enso and Cordenka have signed a joint development agreement to develop precursors for bio-based carbon fibre. The co-development is driven by the need for high performance carbon fibre in transportation, construction and power generation.

To mark its 100-year anniversary Huhtamaki is donating EUR 3 million to global sustainability initiatives with a local impact. The company is acting today, educating for tomorrow and funding innovation for the future, making a difference where it matters most to help address global sustainability challenges and build circular economy initiatives.

Renewables pioneer Neste, who announced the purchase of Mahoney Environmental (Mahoney), a leading collector and recycler of used cooking oil in the United States, and its affiliated entities earlier this year in March, has now closed the deal.

Sulzer Chemtech has created a new global Bio-based and Renewables application development team for the development of innovative technology for the conversion of renewable feedstocks into oleo-chemicals, biofuels, bio-chemicals and bio-polymers.