16. Jun 2026
And the winner is...
Winners of the Biopolymer Innovation Award 2026 announced
On the eve of the 8th International BIOPOLYMER Congress (15+16 June 2026), the 7th annual Biopolymer Innovation Award was officially presented during a festive dinner in Halle an der Saale (Germany). Organized by the non-profit development association POLYKUM e.V. and the trade magazine plastverarbeiter, the prestigious award honors significant international advancements in the field of biobased and biodegradable plastics, spotlighting solutions that actively drive the transition toward a circular materials economy.
This year's independent jury selected three outstanding winners from a competitive pool of global entries, evaluating them based on technological innovation, environmental compatibility, and market readiness:
- 1st Place: Tecnaro GmbH: The top prize went to the German biopolymer pioneer Tecnaro for its breakthrough development of a microplastic-free artificial turf. By leveraging advanced biobased material compounding, the company offers a sustainable, high-performance solution for sports and landscaping sectors, targeted at mitigating primary microplastic shedding into the environment.
- 2nd Place: Snow Polymers Ltd.: The Second place went to Israel-based Snow Polymers for its innovative approach to producing biodegradable plastics from industrial waste. The company is developing the new TPSx and TPC polymer families, utilizing industrial organic waste from food and cardboard production as a raw material base. They can be processed on existing machinery without additional infrastructure investments. The technology is currently being demonstrated via a fully biodegradable agricultural mulch film.
- 3rd Place: Plastrans Technologies GmbH. The tThird place was awarded to Austria's Plastrans for its innovative compostable nets. Designed for agricultural and packaging applications, these biobased netting structures ensure reliable tensile strength during use while guaranteeing clean end-of-life options through full biodegradability.
Before the jury reached its final decision and the subsequent award ceremony took place, the winners presented their projects to the conference audience in the Georg Friedrich Händel Halle, kicking off the main two-day event which brings together industry leaders, processors, and researchers from around the globe. MT