Innovation in Bioplastics Award 2024 – better act fast

Completed submissions should be entered via an entry form (link below) no later than midnight, EST on August 9, 2024. The award winner will be recognized during the Bioplastics Week social media campaign during the week of October 7–11.


Judging Criteria
This competition is open to any corporation, partnership, or other business entity located within or outside of the United States that is not excluded by the Official Rules. The same company may submit multiple entries for different materials, products, or manufacturing processes, provided that a separate and complete entry from is submitted for each innovation. All applicants will be judged based on the three categories of Innovation, Environmental Impact, and Market Impact.

Innovation
Innovation is the act of being creative, introducing something new, and representing a progression of the state-of-the-art. For this measure, the judges will ask - does the bioplastic material, product, or manufacturing process truly bring something unique and groundbreaking to the marketplace? Examples may include:

• Use of new materials never before used in processes or products
• Unusual combinations of materials in a process or product
• Use of new material in a current product
• Early applications of new process technology
• First use of a particular process to produce a particular part
• New performance features of a product
• Pioneering applications into new markets

Environmental Impact
Impact on the environment is a crucial consideration for any innovative venture. The Plastics Industry Association is committed to sustainable development and is supportive of those that are making strides to reach similar goals. For this criterion, judges will assess whether the bioplastic material, product, or manufacturing process provides some measure of enhanced sustainability? Examples may include:

• A new material, product, or process that leads to improvements in waste reduction or efficient resource use
• A process that consumes less water or energy compared to a traditional process
• A product that results in pollution reduction or reduction in CO2 emissions
• A finished product that is designed for circularity (recycling and/or composting)

Market Impact
A successful innovation is one that is able to scale up in or disrupt the current market. Even if your innovation is in the beginning stages of increasing scale, express your vision for what impact it is intended to have. The judges will be considering if the material, product, or manufacturing process currently or will likely soon have a significant impact on the marketplace. Questions to consider may include:

• What is the potential impact to the marketplace?
• Is the impact significant? If so, how?
• Does the material, product, or process address a new market, or does it enhance the current market?

Tips For Entries
• While there is no maximum word count, try to strike a balance between providing sufficient information and brevity. Consider that this application will be read by volunteer judges alongside multiple others and the information may be used in the press release or on social media.
• Provide sufficient information about your material, product, or manufacturing process to explain how it is relevant to the bioplastics industry. For example, new or novel biobased polymers might include what type of feedstock it is made from.
• Include challenges you’ve overcome or that you’re still working through. Part of the innovation process is trial and error, which adds important context to your story!
• Include product photos, links to marketing brochures, and/or technical documentation. In the case of claims related to a form of biodegradability (industrial/home compostable, marine/soil biodegradable, or anaerobically digestible), technical information has been appreciated by the judges.

This award, along with PLASTICS’ other 5 Sustainability Innovation Awards [1], which are presented annually at a PLASTICS event. Last year’s awards were presented at NPE2024! AT


Entry Form
https://forms.office.com/
social media campaign
https://plasticsindustry.org/

[1] https://www.plasticsindustry.org/refocus