Stakeholder event series finalized

We have now concluded our Stakeholder Engagement Series of 12 online events in 12 project partner countries (11 EU countries plus Malaysia).
The events are briefly described below. If you wish to obtain further information, their respective agendas and slides can be downloaded here under “Stakeholder Events”. Most events took place in the local language of the organizers.

The first event was organized in September 2020 by Technical University of Hamburg-Harburg in collaboration with Hamburg University of Applied Sciences for German stakeholders. The event focused on further research needed to address concerns regarding bio-plastic products in the market. In the same month, Kaunas University of Technology took part in the local Lithuanian event, which dealt with waste management, producers’ liability and packaging lifecycle, new approach in environment protection.

In October 2020, another event was held, this time organized by our Austrian partner ACIB. The event discussed bio-plastic research, roadmap 2050 for bio-based plastics of the Austrian Umweltbundesamt, enzymatic technologies for (bio)plastics processing and potential of PHA and the view of the packaging industry.

In November 2020, a total of 5 events were held:

• The Estonian event, organized by the Technical University of Talliin, discussing opportunities in the plastic and bio-plastic markets both in Estonia and elsewhere in Europe.
• The Spanish event, organized by Universidad Politécnica de Madrid and Ecoembalajes España SA. The event brought discussions on end-of-life scenarios for bio-plastics, specifically mechanical and chemical recycling.
• The event in the UK, organised by Manchester Metropolitan University, which touched on the potential of bio-plastics to contribute to decarbonization.
• The Malaysian event, organized by Heng Hiap Industries collected important viewpoints from stakeholders on bio-degradable and biobased plastics in circular economy.
• The Italian event was organised by the University of Bologna, Technologie Innovative per il Controllo Ambientale e lo Sviluppo Sostenible scrl (TICASS) and the National Research Council (CNR). Presentations dealt wit topics such as recycling in Italy, biowaste as a resource, eco-design, case studies from the agri-food sector and circular economy initiatives from businesses.

Two further events took place in December 2020. The event for Polish stakeholders, organized by our partner Lodz University of Technology, discussed the us of bio-based polymers in fibrous products suitable for medicine, hygiene products, agriculture and filtration. The last event of the year was the one organized by our partners Swedish Environmental Research Institute and Turku University of Applied Sciences, for Finnish-Swedish stakeholders.The event discussed boosting bio-plastics innovation, plastics roadmap for Finland, carbon-neutral plastics, PHA production from sludge

In January 2021, the two final events took place: the Belgian Stakeholder virtual event, organized by Prospex Institute, and the French Stakeholder event, organized by Natureplast SAS. The Belgian event introduced various practical applications for bio-plastics which are being developed by BIO-PLASTICS EUROPE. The French event discussed parameters which should be studied for assessing the feasibility of producing bio-plastics from organic waste.

In total, the Stakeholder Engagement Series welcomed 781 participant, of which 234 (30%) are active in private companies and the industry; the remaining 547 (70%) are stakeholders from institutions, research and public service.

This is, however, only the beginning. In 2021, BIO-PLASTICS EUROPE will keep promoting engagement among stakeholders in this innovative field of research and market growth. Please consider joining our Networks and signing up for our Newsletter.