06 | 2008

Editorial
dear readers
When you have this, the sixth issue of bioplastics MAGAZINE for 2008, in your hand,
you know we are approaching the end of the year - a year that has been filled
with exciting developments and events. Be it the announcement of significant new
production capacities to be built, or of the many new bioplastics applications that
were introduced onto the market. The list of events in 2008 was headed, at least for
me, by the huge ‘Bioplastics in Packaging’ special show within the framework of
the world‘s leading packaging exhibition, ‘interpack 2008’ in Düsseldorf, Germany.
The ‘3 rd European Bioplastics Conference’ in November in Berlin again attracted
about 300 experts from all over the world, and among many other events there was
our own ‘1 st PLA World Congress’ in Munich. But there were, of course, also events
in places other than Germany. There was ‘Innovation takes Root’ in Las Vegas, and
we also shipped boxes and boxes of the bioplastics MAGAZINE to other conferences in
the USA, China, Thailand, The Netherlands, Spain, and many other places.
But it wasn’t exclusively positive support and encouragement that was experienced
by plastics made from renewable resources. One of the controversial issues that
we are faced with is the constantly recurring debate on bioplastics versus food,
although I think that the main focus today is on the discussion around biofuels.
I believe (and I am not the only one, I assume) that biofuels are not exactly the
smartest approach. I don’t think it is too clever to burn agricultural products
directly. It’s much better to produce useful (for example bioplastics) products
and use and recycle these as often as possible. After a long and useful life and,
wherever possible, ‘cascade’ recycling, the material can still be incinerated to
recover the energy stored in it. And by the way: the amount of agricultural crops
used for bioplastics is much lower than that used for biofuels.
One of the editorial focuses in this issue of bioplastics MAGAZINE is films and flexibles,
and a second highlight is on paper coating. I hope you enjoy reading this issue and
would very much appreciate receiving your comments, or indeed any contributions
about the ‘food versus …’ topic for our coming issues.
Nathalie Gorce-Joire (Limagrain) at the
3rd European Bioplastics Conference
Yours,
Michael Thielen
bioplastics MAGAZINE [06/08] Vol. 3