Looking back on a productive week
Last week was very busy for BIO-PLASTICS EUROPE, with three stakeholder events organized by our partners. Here is a brief account of them. If you wish to read the presentations, please access our downloads page.
“Plastiche Rinnovabili, Biodegradabili E Compostabili”
The Italian event “Plastiche Rinnovabili, Biodegradabili E Compostabili” took place on 24, 25 and 26 November 2020. It was organized by our partners Assobioplastiche Servizi srl (ASSO-BIO), Consiglio Nazionale delle Ricerche (CNR), Tecnologie Innovative per il Controllo Ambientale e lo Sviluppo Sostenibile scrl (TICASS) and Università di Bologna (UNIBO). Throughout those three days, the event had up to 209 attendees.
On the 1st day, the event covered the topic of circular bioeconomy. Italy is a European leader in separate biowaste collection; most of the biowaste goes through compost processes and is then used in agriculture and floriculture, while some of it is used to produce biogas. The presentations focused on biowaste as a resource, the case study of the waste collection company of Genoa (AMIU), circularity and ecodesign.
The 2nd day centered on bioplastic applications in the agri-food sector, covering challenges in the production of bio-based plastics which are used in agriculture, reduction of environmental impacts, protection of food quality in food contact applications, and three case studies: one on the labeling of pesto jars, and two on biodegradable mulch film production for agricultural uses.
The third and last day was dedicated to business models for sustainability, such as: circular bioeconomy for soil regeneration, use of bio-based compostable plastics and recycled plastics for the production of flexible food packaging, and the production of biopolymers from coffee waste and orange peel.
“Future opportunities and limitations for bio-based plastics in the UK”
On 25.11.2020, Manchester Metropolitan University (MMU) organized the event “Future opportunities and limitations for bio-based plastics in the UK”, with insights from the industry and from waste management operators. The event had almost 40 registered attendees.
In the event, the issue of returning biowaste from cities to the biosphere was related as the major challenge and opportunity in the industry. It is necessary to treat food waste in a way which does not pollute the soil. This can be achieved by increasing the use of compostable materials.
From the waste management operators’ point of view, it is necessary to have clarity on materials, labelling, bins and end markets to avoid contamination in the recycling systems. Otherwise, a small amount of compostable material can contaminate standard plastic recycling streams, leading to the waste of huge quantities of recyclable material.
"Current Realities of Biodegradable and Biobased Plastics in Circular Economy”
Last but not least, our Malaysian partner Heng Hiap Industries (HHI) had its stakeholder meeting “Current Realities of Biodegradable and Biobased Plastics in Circular Economy” on 26.11.2020, with 50 attendees. The company’s CEO and founder reflected on the current trend of combining biobased and biodegradable plastics. He presented a case study of biodegradable biobased flower pots which the company is marketing in the Australian and Japanese markets. The presentation was followed by lively discussions.
Future events
With one month left until the end of the year, we are not yet done! Other BIO-PLASTICS EUROPE partners are organising their stakeholder events on 08.12.2020 (in Polish) and 16.12.2020 (in English, Finnish and Swedish). Another event is planned in January 2021 (in French). In order to obtain all the information in a timely manner, please regularly check our events page and follow us on your preferred social media (you will find our buttons on the top left of this page just below our logo).
