issue 01/2022

Bioplastics - CO 2 

-based Plastics - Advanced Recycling 

Vol. 17 

Cover Story 

The Bioconcept-Car 

of 2007 has now three 

new siblings | 30 

bioplastics MAGAZINE 

Jan/Feb 01 / 2022 

2007 

Highlights 

Automotive | 18 

Foam | 36 

Basics 

Biodegradation | 50 

... is read in 92 countries 


ISSN 1862-5258

“GREEN MESSAGE IN A BOTTLE" MADE OF BIOPLASTICS FROM 

THE BIOPLASTIC 

SPECIALIST 

With its new “BIO variant” PUSTEFIX offers a sustainable alternative 

to its traditional bubble bottle. PUSTEFIX trusts on closures made of 

bio-based I’m green Polyethylene in combination with a bottle made 

Bio-Flex ® . The injection-moldable Bio-Flex ® used for the bottle is characterized 

by a balanced ratio of stiffness and toughness combined with a good 

flow-ability and processability. In terms of strength, stability and weight, 

the Pustefix “BIO variant” can easily compete with those made from 

fossil plastics. An all-round successful "green message in a bottle" for 

dazzling soap bubbles that simply last longer. Let us show you how 

FKuR bioplastics and recyclates support you on your way to a 

circular economy.

dear 

Editorial 

readers 

Alex Thielen, Michael Thielen 

With the current cover, we are taking a small trip down memory lane – 

15 years ago we had our first issue featuring automotive applications and 

have since made it a tradition to kick off the new year with everything new 

and innovative in and around bioplastics in cars. Looking back at the first 

Bioconcept-Car from 2007 makes me realize how much has changed. 

Back then they were just like us, “crazy dreamers” thinking this whole 

bio-thing has a shot in our all too often “bottom-line driven” world. Now, 

15 years later they have three Bioconcept-Cars proving on the track how 

competitive bio-materials really are. However, they are not alone anymore 

as more and more big car brands are including biobased materials. 

One of them is Mercedes-Benz with their ambitious VISION EQXX an 

electrical vehicle that uses bioplastics for both interior design as well as 

technically demanding parts. Turns out, the crazy dreamers were right 

“going bio” – or better “going renewable” – has become a normal, even 

desirable choice for many in and outside the automotive industry. 

Bioplastics - CO 2 

-based Plastics - Advanced Recycling 


Our second focus point is almost as much a tradition as the first, 

Foam. Here we have new developments in both the fields of bioplastics 

and chemical recycling. But that is not all, we have an interesting 

look at Biodegradability in our Basics section as it is (sadly) a topic 

often misunderstood or misrepresented. Last but not least we talk 

about a topic that is important for everybody doing anything with 

bioplastics – LCAs. Those of you that were at the European Bioplastics 

Conference last year will know about the current debate about the LCA 

methodology the Joint Research Centre (JRC) developed for the European 

Commission – and the controversy around it. If you haven’t heard of it and 

are wondering what this is all about, the answer is 42. 

Vol. 17 


2007 

Highlights 


Foam | 36 

Basics 




ISSN 1862-5258 

Even if our conference season starts with a purely digital bio!PAC on 

March 15 + 16, we desperately hope to meet you in person at our 

7 th PLA World Congress on May 24 + 25 in Munich, Germany. And for 

October we are already getting excited about the upcoming K-show and our 

Bioplastics Business Breakfast. 

Follow us on twitter! 

www.twitter.com/bioplasticsmag 

Until then, we hope you all got good into the new year, let’s hope it will be 

better than the last. Stay healthy, stay crazy, keep dreaming. 

Yours sincerely 

Like us on Facebook! 

www.facebook.com/bioplasticsmagazine 

bioplastics MAGAZINE [01/22] Vol. 17 3

Imprint 

Content 

34 Porsche launches cars with biocomposites 

32 Bacteriostatic PLA compound for 3D printingz 

Jan/Feb 01|2022 

3 Editorial 

5 News 

45 Application News 

30 Cover Story 

50 Basics 

53 10 years ago 

54 Suppliers Guide 

58 Companies in this issue 

Publisher / Editorial 

Dr. Michael Thielen (MT) 

Alex Thielen (AT) 

Samuel Brangenberg (SB) 

Head Office 

Polymedia Publisher GmbH 

Dammer Str. 112 

41066 Mönchengladbach, Germany 

phone: +49 (0)2161 6884469 

fax: +49 (0)2161 6884468 

info@bioplasticsmagazine.com 

www.bioplasticsmagazine.com 

Media Adviser 

Samsales (German language) 

phone: +49(0)2161-6884467 

fax: +49(0)2161 6884468 

sb@bioplasticsmagazine.com 

Michael Thielen (English Language) 

(see head office) 

Layout/Production 

Kerstin Neumeister 

Print 

Poligrāfijas grupa Mūkusala Ltd. 

1004 Riga, Latvia 

bioplastics MAGAZINE is printed on 

chlorine-free FSC certified paper. 

bioplastics magazine 

Volume 17 - 2022 

Events 

9 European Bioplastics Conferene 2021 

14 bio!PAC 2022 

16 Chinaplas 2022 

17 7 th PLA World Congress 

Automotive 

18 Bio-PA composites 

20 Lightweight biobased cellulose 

reinforcement for automotive applications 

22 Tyre News 

23 BIOMOTIVE 

24 Automotive Bioplastics Market 

26 Why cycle when you could travel in style? 

28 Sustainable materials in high-end luxury car 

34 Car headliner from plastic waste and old tyres 

Cover Story 

30 The Bioconcept Car has 3 new siblings 

Award 

12 And the winner is ... 

Foam 

36 Mattress recycling now a reality 

38 PHBH foam products 

Materials 

39 New 3D printing powder for 

the food industry 

Processing 

40 Extrusion lines for natural 

fibre waste 

41 PLA crystallisation and drying 

Opinion 

42 The new JRC’s “Plastics LCA 

method” already needs an update 

Basics 

50 Biodegradation 

One concept - many nuances 

ISSN 1862-5258 

bM is published 6 times a year. 

This publication is sent to qualified subscribers 

(169 Euro for 6 issues). 

bioplastics MAGAZINE is read in 

92 countries. 

Every effort is made to verify all Information 

published, but Polymedia Publisher 

cannot accept responsibility for any errors 

or omissions or for any losses that may 

arise as a result. 

All articles appearing in 

bioplastics MAGAZINE, or on the website 

www.bioplasticsmagazine.com are strictly 

covered by copyright. No part of this 

publication may be reproduced, copied, 

scanned, photographed and/or stored 

in any form, including electronic format, 

without the prior consent of the publisher. 

Opinions expressed in articles do not necessarily 

reflect those of Polymedia Publisher. 

bioplastics MAGAZINE welcomes contributions 

for publication. Submissions are 

accepted on the basis of full assignment 

of copyright to Polymedia Publisher GmbH 

unless otherwise agreed in advance and in 

writing. We reserve the right to edit items 

for reasons of space, clarity or legality. 

Please contact the editorial office via 

mt@bioplasticsmagazine.com. 

The fact that product names may not be 

identified in our editorial as trade marks 

is not an indication that such names are 

not registered trade marks. 

bioplastics MAGAZINE tries to use British 

spelling. However, in articles based on 

information from the USA, American 

spelling may also be used. 

Envelopes 

A part of this print run is mailed to the 

readers wrapped bioplastic envelopes 

sponsored by Sidaplax/Plastic Suppliers 

(Belgium/USA) 

Cover 

Michael Thielen, from cover shooting for 

issue 01/2007 

Follow us on twitter: 

http://twitter.com/bioplasticsmag 

Like us on Facebook: 

https://www.facebook.com/bioplasticsmagazine

Bio-based acrylonitrile 

for carbon fibers 

Solvay (Brussels, Belgium) and Trillium 

Renewable Chemicals (Knoxville, Tennesse, USA) 

have signed a letter of intent to develop the supply 

chain for biobased acrylonitrile (bio-ACN). Trillium 

will supply Solvay with bio-ACN from Trillium’s 

planned commercial asset, and Solvay will evaluate 

bio-ACN for carbon fibre manufacturing as part of its 

long-term commitment to developing sustainable 

solutions from biobased or recycled sources. The 

aim of this partnership is to produce carbon fibre 

for use in various applications such as aerospace, 

automotive, energy, and consumer goods. 

Acrylonitrile is a chemical intermediate typically 

made from petroleum-based feedstocks like 

propylene and is the primary raw material used 

in the production of carbon fibre. Trillium’s Bio- 

ACN process delivers acrylonitrile from plantbased 

feedstocks like glycerol with a lower carbon 

footprint. 

“We are thrilled to be partnering with Trillium 

which aligns well with our Solvay One Planet 

commitment to more than double our revenue 

based on renewable or recycled materials by 2030,” 

comments Stephen Heinz, head of composite 

research & innovation, Solvay. “Innovation 

partnerships such as this are driven by a desire to 

make a real-world sustainability impact. Biobased 

feedstocks are a key part of Solvay’s sustainability 

strategy, and we look forward to being a consumer of 

bio-ACN from Trillium’s first biobased acrylonitrile 

plant.” 

“Trillium’s bio-ACN process technology enables 

bio-carbon fibre,” explains Corey Tyree, CEO of 

Trillium. “We are excited to continue our partnership 

with Solvay, who have supported the bio-ACN 

process technology development since 2014. Solvay 

is a leader in the most rapidly-growing acrylonitrile 

segment (carbon fibre) and is market leader in biocarbon 

fibre and sustainable development.”MT 

www.trilliumchemicals.com | www.solvay.com 

NatureWorks: New headquarter 

and R&D facilities 

In response to rapid growth in the market for sustainable 

biomaterials, NatureWorks (Minnetonka, Minnesota, USA) 

recently announced their intent to open a new headquarters and 

advanced biopolymer research facility in Plymouth, Minnesota. 

Expanded laboratory capabilities will support research into the 

full circular lifecycle of Ingeo PLA biopolymers from nextgeneration 

fermentation technology to new applications, to 

increased functionality. 

The expanded R&D capabilities will also support the 

construction and operation of NatureWorks’ new fully integrated 

Ingeo PLA manufacturing complex located in Thailand. With 

an expected opening in 2024, the facility will have an annual 

capacity of 75,000 tonnes of Ingeo biopolymer and produce the 

full portfolio of Ingeo grades. 

“In the face of these challenging times, we’ve designed a 

space that will enable research, invention, and collaboration 

between us, our partners, and the market, no matter where 

we are located in the world,” said Rich Altice, President & CEO 

of NatureWorks. “These new facilities will help accelerate the 

pace of research and innovation as the urgent need for real, 

safe solutions that help address climate and environmental 

challenges from plastics and chemicals continues to grow.” 

The new space is designed to embody NatureWorks’s 

mission to create sustainable, high-performance materials by 

incorporating low environmental impact materials including 

lighting, flooring, and art made with Ingeo as well as systems for 

reducing water and energy usage. A robust organics recycling 

collection system will divert food waste away from landfills to 

compost with compostable food serviceware, coffee pods, and 

tea bags all available to visitors and employees. 

Whether participating in trials in NatureWorks’ applications 

lab or meeting with employees, visitors will find a redesigned 

experience that facilitates collaboration and showcases 

examples of Ingeo in applications from appliances to 3D printing, 

to compostable and recyclable paper coatings. 

The move to the new headquarters and R&D facility will begin 

in February 2022. MT 

www.natureworksllc.com 

News 

daily updated News at 


Picks & clicks 

Most frequently clicked news 

Here’s a look at our most popular online content of the past two months. 

The story that got the most clicks from the visitors to bioplasticsmagazine.com was: 

tinyurl.com/news-20211201 

Global bioplastics production will more than triple 

within the next five years 

(01 December 2021) 

At the 16 th EUBP Conference, taking place on 30 November and 1 December 

in Berlin, European Bioplastics presented a very positive outlook for the 

global bioplastics industry. Production is set to more than triple over the next 

five years according to market data which was compiled in cooperation with 

the nova-Institute (Hürth, Germany); (see also p. 11). 


News 



Helian's PHA alliances 

Bluepha (Beijing, China) and Dutch company 

Helian Polymers (Belfeld) recently announced their 

cooperation. The aim of the cooperation is to bring a 

new PHA based building block to the market, targeting 

various applications as a replacement for existing 

petrochemically based plastics. This addition will enable 

Helian Polymers to create and offer an even broader 

range of PHA based material formulations. 

Helian Polymers has been active in bioplastics ever 

since 2007, as well as trading in colour concentrates 

and additives on an international scale. With increased 

regulatory pressure and social concerns regarding 

petrochemically based plastics, Helian is stepping up 

its efforts to supply both biobased and biodegradable 

materials and develop bespoke applications with its 

customers. 

Founded by scientists with interdisciplinary 

backgrounds in 2016, Bluepha has strong research and 

engineering expertise in the area of cellular agriculture 

for molecule and material innovations. On Jan 1 st , 2022, 

Bluepha's first industrial PHA project with 25,000 tonnes 

capacity per annum broke ground. 

Helian Polymers, who culminated in their own brand 

PHAradox last year, will start importing and using 

Bluepha's unique PHBH based building blocks for 

developing specific PHA based compounds. Under the 

PHAradox umbrella, multiple PHA based materials have 

been developed with the aim of offering more sustainable 

alternatives compared to existing materials. 

By using various PHA grades like P3HB, PHBV, and 

P3HB4HB, Helian Polymers is uniquely suited in the 

world to combine these grades with Bluepha's PHBH 

material to compound custom-made materials for 

various applications. By utilizing these natural building 

blocks Helian Polymers is able to mimic properties of 

more traditional plastics like PP and ABS. By copying, 

or at least approaching, the properties and thus the 

functionality of these materials the transition is easier 

to make and to communicate with converters and 

customers alike. 

Earlier in January, Helian already announced a 

cooperation with Genecis Bioindustries. (headquartered 

in Toronto, Canada). Together both companies will 

develop various resin formulations that include Genecis’ 

PHAs for high-value applications, such as 3D printing 

filaments and biomedical applications. By combining 

both companies’ strengths, converting food waste into 

biodegradable plastics for Genecis and creating unique 

PHA based materials from various building blocks for 

Helian Polymers, the possibilities of unique materials 

arise. 

Genecis is a high growth biotechnology company that 

upcycles organic waste into compostable plastics. Their 

rapid scaling model makes high throughput production 

capacities possible by adding adding their technology 

onto biogas plants. MT 

www.pharadox.com | 

www.bluepha.com | www.genecis.co 

Green light for 

Avantium's FDCA 

flagship plant 

Avantium (Amsterdam, The Netherlands), a leading 

technology company in renewable chemistry, announced 

that on January 25 the shareholders have granted the 

requested approvals for all items on the agenda of the 

Extraordinary General Meeting (EGM). 

This includes the green light for Avantium's FDCA 

Flagship Plant. The company can begin the execution of 

all relevant documentation to complete the transaction 

(“Financial Close”), which is expected in the first quarter 

of 2022. Construction of the FDCA Flagship Plant is 

planned to start after Financial Close and to be completed 

by the end of 2023. Avantium expects that the FDCA 

Flagship Plant will be operational in 2024, enabling the 

commercial launch of PEF from 2024 onwards. MT 

www.avantium.com 

Total Corbion PLA 

transitions to 

TotalEnergies Corbion 

Total Corbion PLA will transition to TotalEnergies 

Corbion, launching a new company name and logo over 

the coming months. TotalEnergies Corbion is a 50/50 

joint venture between TotalEnergies and Corbion. 

The name change follows the recent rebranding of 

TotalEnergies earlier last year, anchoring its strategic 

transformation into a broad energy company. 

TotalEnergies Corbion expects to launch its updated 

brand identity in a phased approach from this January. 

Earlier last summer TotalEnergies Corbion celebrated 

the cumulative production volume milestone of 100kT 

of Luminy ® PLA at its production plant in Thailand. The 

company has also entered the engineering stage for a 

second facility in Grandpuits (France) in order to respond 

to the growing PLA market demand. 

Luminy PLA resins from TotalEnergies Corbion are 

biobased and made from annually renewable resources, 

offering a reduced carbon footprint versus many 

traditional plastics. At the end of their useful life, PLA 

products can be mechanically or chemically recycled. 

The biodegradable and compostable functionalities of 

PLA make it the material of choice for a wide range 

of markets and applications including fresh fruit 

packaging, food service ware, durable consumer goods, 

toys, and 3D printing. TotalEnergies Corbion recently 

announced the launch of Luminy rPLA: the world’s first 

commercially available chemically recycled bioplastics 

product. MT 

www.totalenergies-corbion.com 

6 bioplastics MAGAZINE [01/22] Vol. 17

WWF released new position: 

Chemical Recycling Implementation Principles 

On January 26, as part of the No Plastic in Nature vision, World Wildlife Fund (WWF), Gland, Switzerland, released "Chemical 

Recycling Implementation Principles" (see link below). These principles aim to help decision-makers determine if and how 

chemical recycling – an emerging technology with unknown environmental and social outcomes – should be pursued as a 

plastic waste mitigation tactic. Alix Grabowski, director of plastic and material science at WWF said: 

“Even as technologies advance, we can’t recycle our way out of the growing plastic waste crisis. Instead of just focusing on 

recycling, we should prioritize strategies like reducing our overall single-use plastic consumption and scaling up reuse, which 

offer the best opportunity to achieve the widescale change we need. 

“For a technology like chemical recycling to be part of a sustainable material management system, we must carefully look at 

how it is designed and implemented and whether or not it offers environmental benefits over the status quo, adheres to strong 

social safeguards, and truly contributes to advancing our circular economy. These principles are designed to do exactly that.” 

News 



The paper lays out considerations for plastic-to-plastic recycling, not plastic-to-fuel applications. Plastic-to-fuel activities 

should not be considered recycling, nor a part of the circular economy. 

The paper also states that "Based on currently available evidence, there are significant concerns that these technologies 

are energy-intensive, pose risks to human health, and/or will not be able to practically recycle plastic beyond what mechanical 

recycling already achieves." 

bioplastics MAGAZINE strongly encourages its readers, 

especially those involved in chemical recycling, to read and 

comment on the WWF paper. MT 

Info: 

1: The Chemical Recycling Implementation Principles can be 

downloaded form https://tinyurl.com/WWF-Principles 

tinyurl.com/WWF-Principles 

Arkema increases Pebax elastomer production 

Arkema (headquartered in Colombes, France) announced 

a 25 % increase in its global Pebax ® elastomer production 

capacity by investing in Serquigny in France. This investment 

will notably enable increased production of the bio-circular 

Pebax Rnew ® and traditional Pebax ranges. 

This new capacity will produce a variety of highly 

specialized grades to meet growing demand in numerous 

demanding applications thanks to the lightweight, 

flexibility, and excellent energy return of these materials. 

These properties are particularly appreciated in sports 

equipment, such as soles for running shoes, ski boots, or 

technical textile, in consumer goods such as smartphones 

and flexible screens, as well as in other markets such as 

medical equipment. 

delighted to add this new capacity to support our customers’ 

growing demand for high-performance sustainable 

materials," said Erwoan Pezron, Senior Vice-President of 

Arkema’s High Performance Polymers Business Line. "We 

will also continue to produce many of these materials at our 

Birdsboro plant in Pennsylvania”. MT 

www.arkema.com 

Derived from renewable castor seeds, Pebax Rnew 

advanced bio-circular materials offer sustainables solution 

that have a carbon footprint that is up to 50 % lower, compared 

to other elastomers on the market, and can be fully recycled. 

In addition, this investment, which is scheduled to come on 

stream mid-2023, will lower the water consumption of the 

site by 25 % thanks to process optimization. 

“The Serquigny plant has a long proven legacy in the 

production of these advanced materials, and we are 


News 



United Nations recommends bioplastics as a 

sustainable alternative to conventional plastics 

In mid-December, the Food and Agriculture Organisation 

of the United Nations (FAO) published a report assessing the 

sustainability of agricultural plastic products recommending 

the replacement of non-biodegradable, conventional 

polymers with biodegradable, biobased polymers (see link 

below) . “We welcome this recognition of the environmental 

benefits of these bioplastic products,” commented François 

de Bie, Chairman of European Bioplastics (EUBP). “Biobased 

and soil-biodegradable mulch films help both in reducing 

dependence on fossil carbon sources, by using renewable 

carbon instead, and by playing a valuable role in reducing 

residual plastic pollution in soil, which can significantly 

impact agricultural productivity.” 

The FAO study focuses on agricultural plastic products 

used in a range of different value chains. A qualitative risk 

assessment, which accompanies the study, analyses 13 

specific agricultural products. “Significantly, for six out of 

13 assessed products, biodegradable, biobased plastics are 

recommended as preferable substitutes for conventional 

plastic material,” said de Bie. The list of recommended 

products included mulch films, fishing gear, polymer-coated 

fertilizers, tree guards and shelters, plant support twines, and 

pesticide impregnated fruit protection bags. 

Mulch films represent the second largest share of plastic 

films used in agriculture. “These films, made from soilbiodegradable 

plastics, provide significant benefits where 

retrieval, recycling, and reuse of conventional plastics pose 

significant problems. They are specifically designed to 

biodegrade effectively in situ and can therefore be incorporated 

into the soil post-harvest," explained François de Bie. In 

contrast, especially thin, non- biodegradable mulching films 

display an insufficient collection, management, and retrieval, 

which can lead to a significant level of plastic pollution in 

the fields in which they are used. Even where conventional 

mulch films are removed from the field, they are often heavily 

contaminated with soils and plant residues, which inhibits the 

recycling process. 

The FAO report also emphasises the need to develop 

polymers that are biodegradable in the marine environment. 

“Although any kind of littering, should be avoided, a certain 

level of unavoidable loss of fishing gear will always take place. 

Therefore, it is important to foster the adoption of marinebiodegradable 

solutions,” stated the Chairman of EUBP. In 

the case of used products contaminated with fish residues, 

such as fish collection boxes, biopolymers, according to FAO, 

may ease the organic recycling process. 

Commenting on the study, Hasso von Pogrell, Managing 

Director of EUBP said: “EUBP welcomes all studies, such as 

this one, that contribute towards improving knowledge of the 

current data situation. This can’t be done by the bioplastics 

industry alone, and in order to establish a proper data pool, 

we also need stronger political support. For the European 

market, the European Commission should lead efforts to 

facilitate and coordinate data pooling in order to develop a 

more accurate picture of where the use of bioplastics brings 

real benefits in reducing conventional plastic pollution.” The 

report also highlights the role of research and innovation 

grants as means of pump-priming new ideas which lead to 

the development of new products. “However, the funding of 

research alone is not enough. An appropriate policy framework 

for biobased, biodegradable, and compostable plastics is also 

needed, to capture potential for innovation and the economic, 

environmental, and societal sustainable benefits of these 

products for the European Union,” concluded von Pogrell. MT 

https://tinyurl.com/FAO-recommendation 

www.european-bioplastics.org 

Danimer Scientific and TotalEnergies Corbion cooperate 

Danimer Scientific (Bainbridge, Georgia, USA) and TotalEnergies Corbion (Gorinchem, The Netherlands) have entered a 

long-term collaborative arrangement for the supply of Luminy ® PLA, a biobased polymer used to manufacture compostable 

products. The strategic collaboration is meant to support long-term growth of biopolymer production requiring a blend of 

polyhydroxyalkanoate (PHA) and polylactic pcid (PLA) inputs. 

As Danimer continues to scale up the commercial production of Nodax ® , its signature PHA, this agreement enhances 

Danimer’s ability to fulfil customer needs for resins that require a blend of PLA- and PHA-based inputs. 

Stephen E. Croskrey, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Danimer, said, “While growing commercial production of 

PHA remains the focus of our business, PLA is a part of some compounds that we formulate to meet specific customers’ 

functionality needs for different applications. Teaming with TotalEnergies Corbion provides an ideal solution to support our 

long-term growth strategy while ensuring our short-term customer needs remain fulfilled.” 

Thomas Philipon, Chief Executive Officer of TotalEnergies Corbion, said, "The biopolymers market is experiencing strong 

growth and customers are requesting innovative solutions tailor-made to their market needs. In today’s dynamic market, 

strategic arrangements throughout the value chain are key to ensuring security of supply in both product and technology that 

will allow brand owners and ultimately consumers to be comfortable with selecting bioplastics as a sustainable alternative to 

traditional plastics." MT 

www.danimerscientific.com | www.totalenergies-corbion.com 


Engineering tomorrow’s materials 

Your benefits 

International Congress 

March 30-31, 2022, Mannheim, Germany 

News 



• International industry meeting-point with over 60 exhibitors 

• 42 hand-picked keynotes & lectures 

• Auto show 

• PIAE Afterparty 

Focus: 

Sustainable use 

of plastics! 

Sign up! 

www.piae-europe.com 


Events 

European Bioplastics Conference 

At the 16 th annual European Bioplastics (EUBP) Conference, which 

took place from 30 November to 1 December in Berlin, industry 

experts discussed the role of bioplastics within the European 

Green Deal. The conference discussions confirmed that bioplastics 

make significant contributions to help with achieving the European 

Union’s ambitious climate goals described in the EU strategy. 

In his opening remarks, François de Bie, Chairman of European 

Bioplastics (EUBP), began by giving a clear answer to the overarching 

conference question about the role of bioplastics within the European 

Green Deal. “There are many fields of interaction between the European 

Commission’s Green Deal and bioplastics where our industry can 

make significant contributions towards helping achieve the European 

Union’s ambitious climate goals,” said de Bie. “Bioplastics are part of 

the solution needed to fix the issue that we have with plastics today,” he 

continued, referring to the challenges caused by plastic waste. The varied 

two-day conference programme, which examined key issues along the 

bioplastics value chain, strongly reinforced his statement. In ten different 

sessions, which included an exciting keynote and presentations as well 

as lively panel discussions, over 40 speakers and moderators focused on 

the contribution that biobased, biodegradable, and compostable plastics 

can make to achieve a circular economy. 

In a pre-recorded address, Kestutis Sadauskas, Director for Circular 

Economy and Green Growth at the European Commission’s DG 

Environment, said “While biobased and biodegradable and compostable 

plastics can be part of the solution, they also present certain challenges. 

The feedback received tells us a policy framework is needed.” The 

subsequent policy session went on to discuss bioplastics’ role in 

achieving Europe’s Green Deal objectives by focussing on key processes, 

such as the framework for bioplastics and the Packaging and Packaging 

Waste Directive. 

Further conference sessions highlighted new opportunities for 

compostable plastics and discussed their performance in different 

open environments. New European Bioplastics market data, based 

on research from the nova-institute, gave a very positive outlook for 

bioplastics production, which is expected to more than triple within the 

next five years with a growth rate of over 200 % (see next page). The 

results correspond to the industry leaders’ perspectives on bioplastics 

shared during the conference as well as to the latest insights that were 

provided from emerging markets, such as textiles, packaging, and 

automotive. 

During the session on communicating sustainability of biobased 

plastics, participants followed a lively discussion on sustainability, 

including the results of a study developed by the Joint Research Centre 

(JRC) assessing the Life Cycle Analysis (LCA) of alternative feedstock for 

plastics. This coincided with the publication of a position by the European 

Bioeconomy Alliance criticising the methodology for favouring fossilbased 

over biobased plastics (see p. 42). 

This year, bioplastics’ leading business and networking platform was 

held in a hybrid format attracting over 320 participants. Around 140 

participants attended in person, while the other attendees were able to 

follow and actively engage online. At the conference exhibition, around 

20 companies and institutions showcased the high diversity of new 

products, materials, and applications. Innovation also requires research 

– thus the conference also included a poster exhibition with fifteen 

different universities and research institutes presenting bioplasticsrelated 

projects. MT 



and market development update 

Market 

Bioplastics currently represent still less than 1 % of 

the more than 367 million tonnes of plastic produced 

annually1. However, contrary to a slight decrease in the 

overall global plastic production, the market for bioplastics 

has continuously grown. This development is driven by a rising 

demand combined with the emergence of more sophisticated 

applications and products. Global bioplastics production 

capacity is set to increase significantly from around 2.41 million 

tonnes in 2021 to approximately 7.59 million tonnes in 2026. 

Hence, the share of bioplastics in global plastic production will 

pass the two % mark for the first time. 

Applications and market segments 

Bioplastics are used for an increasing variety of applications, 

ranging from packaging and consumer products to 

electronics, automotive, and textiles. Packaging remains the 

largest market segment for bioplastics with 48 % (1.15 million 

tonnes) of the total bioplastics market in 2021. 

Global production capacities of bioplastics by market segment (2021) 

Global production capacities of bioplastics 

Material development and diversification 

Bioplastic alternatives exist for almost every conventional 

plastic material and corresponding application. Due to a 

strong development of polymers, such as PBAT (polybutylene 

adipate terephthalate) but also PBS (polybutylene succinate) 

and PAs (polyamides) as well as a steady growth of polylactic 

acids (PLAs), the production capacities will continue to 

increase significantly and diversify within the next 5 years. 

Global production capacities of bioplastics by material type 

top: 2021, bottom: 2026 

Land use share for bioplastics estimated to be at 

0.01 % of the global agricultural area 

The land used to grow the renewable feedstock needed to 

produce bioplastics is estimated to remain at approximately 

0.70 million hectares in 2021. This accounts for just only 

over 0.01 % of the global agricultural area of 5.0 billion 

hectares. Along with the projected increase of bioplastics 

production in 2026, the land use share is expected to be still 

below 0.06 %. In relation to the available agricultural area, 

this share is minimal. Thus, there is no competition between 

the renewable feedstock for food and feed and the production 

of bioplastics. 

Land use estimation for bioplastics 2021 to 2026 

About this market data update 

The market data update 2021 has been compiled in 

cooperation with the market experts of the nova-Institute 

(Hürth, Germany). The market data graphs are available for 

download (see link below). MT 

tinyurl.com/EUPB-market 



Award 

And the winner is ... 

The 15 th Global Bioplastics Award 2021 

was given to Gruppo Fabbri Vignola 

for their Home Compostable Cling Film 

This year the prestigious annual Global Bioplastics 

Award, presented by bioplastics MAGAZINE, was given to 

Gruppo Fabbri Vignola (Vignola, Italy) for their Home 

Compostable Cling Film. 

Other than in previous years, the winner was not chosen 

by a jury. This year for the first time, the attendees of the 

16 th European Bioplastics Conference, which was held in 

a hybrid format in Berlin, Germany on November 30 th and 

December 1 st , voted for the winner, both on-site in Berlin 

and online. 

Nature Fresh is the first cling film worldwide suitable for 

both manual and automatic food packaging and certified 

as Home Compostable and Industrial Compostable (EN 

13432). 

The formulation of Nature Fresh is based on the BASF 

certified compostable polymers ecoflex ® and ecovio ® . 

It is also the first of its range to combine optimal 

breathability for an extended shelf life of fresh food with 

high transparency and excellent mechanical properties 

for automatic packaging: its tensile strength, elongation 

at break, breathability, transparency, gloss, extensibility, 

and anti-fogging are comparable to those of traditional 

films. Furthermore, Nature Fresh shows a better water 

vapour transmission rate, which is essential for optimal 

packaging. It preserves the freshness, and the nutritional 

and organoleptic properties of food, avoiding food waste. 

The shelf-life of mushrooms, for instance, can be extended 

to 5-fold, for lettuce even up to 7-fold. 

Nature Fresh can be used in minimal thickness and is 

also printable with compostable inks. 

It is food-contact approved according to the US and 

European standards and since no plasticisers are used, 

it can pack any kind of fresh foods, even those with high 

fat content. 

“It took us five years to develop this product,” said Stefano 

Mele, CEO of Gruppo Fabbri Vignola in his short statement, 

“and I am grateful for the support of our partners.” He 

also added that “Nature Fresh has already been produced 

in hundreds of tonnes and tens of thousands of reels with 

millions of packages already released onto the market.” 

Michael Thielen presenting the Award to Stefano Mele 


COMPEO 

Leading compounding technology 

for heat- and shear-sensitive plastics 

The runner up was Refork from the Czech Republic. 

The company has developed a new material based on 

sawdust, waste from wood processing combined with 

natural polymers PHB(V). Their first iconic product is a 

fork, but the company is already developing a toothbrush 

for the dental market to launch early next year. 

Last but not least, third place went to the bio!TOY 

conference (which was anonymously nominated). 

The 3D-printed award itself is of course also made from 

bioplastics. The two different PHA/PLA blends are filled 

with wood or stone flour, respectively. The trophy was 

provided by colorFabb from Belfeld, The Netherlands. MT 

www.gruppofabbri.com 

Uniquely efficient. Incredibly versatile. Amazingly flexible. 

With its new COMPEO Kneader series, BUSS continues 

to offer continuous compounding solutions that set the 

standard for heat- and shear-sensitive applications, in all 

industries, including for biopolymers. 

• Moderate, uniform shear rates 

• Extremely low temperature profile 

• Efficient injection of liquid components 

• Precise temperature control 

• High filler loadings 

www.busscorp.com 


Events 

bioplastics MAGAZINE presents: 

The 4 th bio!PAC conference on Biplastics & Packaging, a co-production of bioplastics 

MAGAZINE and Green Serendipity, will now be held strictly virtual, due to the latest 

developments of the Corona pandemic. The conference fee has been reduced. 

Experts from all areas of bioplastics & packaging will present their latest 

developments or research. The conference will also cover discussions like endof-life 

options, consumer behaviour issues, availability of agricultural land for 

material use versus food and feed etc. 

bio!PAC uses the WHOVA app and web-platform to offer excellent opportunities for 

attendees to connect and network with other professionals in the field. 

All presentations will be recorded for a convenient “video-on-demand“ experience 

in your time zone. A local meet-up will be organized if covid measures allow! 

bio PAC 

www.bio-pac.info 

International 

Bioplastics & Packaging 

Conference 

15 - 16 March 2022 

Online Event 

Tuesday, March 15, 2022 

08:00 - 08:40 Welcome, solve technical issues, if necessary 

08:45 - 09:00 Michael Thielen Welcome remarks 

09:00 - 09:20 Gert-Jan Gruter, University of Amsterdam Future of bioplastics & packaging 

09:20 - 09:40 Constance Ißbrücker, European Bioplastics European bioplastics pespective for bioplastics (t.b.c.) 

09:40 - 10:00 Christopher vom Berg, nova-Institute Packaging from Renewable Carbon Plastics (t.b.c.) 

10:00 - 10:15 Q&A 

10:15 - 10:40 Coffee– and Networking Break 

10:40 - 11:00 Heidi Koljonen, Sulapac Microplastics & Packaging 

11:00 - 11:20 Thijs Rodenburg, Rodenburg Biopolymers Starch-based compounds for packaging applications 

11:20 - 11:40 Patrick Zimmermann, FKUR From linear to circular - how bioplastics provide solutions for packaging 

11:40 - 12:00 Ella Yao, PureGreen PLA coated paper-based packaging 

12:00 - 12:15 Q&A 

12:15 - 13:15 Lunch- and Networking Break 

13:15 - 13:35 Bineke Posthumus, Avantium Plant-based solutions to realize a fossil-free & circular economy 

13:35 - 13:55 Martin Bussmann, Neste Renewable carbon solutions for packaging 

13:55 - 14:15 Allegra Muscatello, Taghleef Industries New developments in biobased and biodegradable packaging solutions 

15:15 - 14:35 Jan Pels, TNO Torwash: a new system for bioplastics recycling 

14:35 - 14:50 Q&A 

14:50 - 15:15 Coffee– and Networking Break 

15:15 - 15:35 Patrick Gerritsen, Bio4pack Bio4Pack moves the earth 

15:35 - 15:55 Blake Lindsey, RWDC Moving Past Recycling: Can We Stem the Microplastics Crisis? 

15:55 - 16:15 Jane Franch, Numi Organic Tea Practical application of bioplastics in packaging: Brand perspective 

16:15 - 16:30 Q&A 

Wednesday, March 16, 2022 

08:45 - 09:00 Michael Thielen Welcome remarks 

09:00 - 09:20 Lise Magnier, TU Delft Insights in consumer behaviour in relation to sustainable packaging 

09:20 - 09:40 Bruno de Wilde, OWS Environmental Benefits of biodegradable packaging? 

09:40 - 10:00 Johann Zimmermann, NaKu PLA packaging: returnable, recyclable, re... 

10:00 - 10:20 Erwin Vink, NatureWorks The Compostables Project 

10:20 - 10:35 Q&A 

10:35 - 11:00 Coffee- and Networking Break 

11:00 - 11:20 Jenifer Mitjà, Total Corbion Expanding end-of-life options for PLA bioplastics 

11:20 - 11:40 Remy Jongboom, Biotec The added value of compostable materials in packaging applications 

11:40 - 12:00 Julia Schifter, TIPA Creating a circular bio-economy through compostable packaging 

12:00 - 12:20 Philippe Wolff, Ricoh Europe (t.b.c.) PLAIR – a new material made from plants and air 

12:20 - 12:35 Q&A 

12:35 - 13:35 Lunch- and Networking Break 

13:35 - 13:55 Tom Bowden, Sidaplax Evolutions of Biopolymer Film Performance and Environmental Degradability 

13:55 - 14:15 Jojanneke Leistra, Superfoodguru PLA bottles from a brand owners perspective 

14:15 - 14:35 Alberto Castellanza, Novamont Mater-Bi ® : Novel Developments in Food Packaging Applications 

14:35 - 14:55 Caroli Buitenhuis, Green Serendipity Bioplastics in Packaging - Review and outlook 

14:55 - 15:10 Q&A 

15:10 - 15:30 Caroli Buitenhuis, Michael Thielen Closing remarks 

Subject to changes 


io PAC 

bioplastics MAGAZINE presents: 

ONLINE 

#biopac 


International Conference on Bioplastics & Packaging 

15 - 16 March 2022 - ONLINE 

Bioplastics packaging 

• can be recyclable, biodegradable and/or compostable 

• can be made from renewable resources or waste streams 

• can offer innovative features and beneficial barrier properties 

• can offer multiple environmental benefits in the end-of-life phase 

• helps to reduce the depletion of finite fossil resources and CO 2 

emissions 

At the bio!PAC the focus will be on packaging based on biobased feedstock that leads to genuine environmental benefits in the 

future. Specific and considerable attention will also be paid to the criteria for these applications. 

Silver Sponsors 

Bronze Sponsors 

Coorganized by 

supported by 

Media Partner

Events 

Green, the theme Colour 

of Chinaplas 2022 

The advent of the dual-carbon era has triggered further 

efforts in reducing carbon emissions. Many countries, 

regions and chemical enterprises have set the goal of 

net-zero emissions and carbon neutrality. Green and low 

carbon have become hot topics in the plastics and rubber 

industries. Chinaplas 2022, to be held from April 25 to 28, 

will bring together more than 4,000 prominent exhibitors 

from all over the world to launch innovative green solutions. 

A lot of can’t-miss concurrent events will be organized 

during Chinaplas 2022, focusing on green topics such as 

carbon neutrality and sustainable development. 

Plastics Recycling & Circular Economy 

Conference: Inspiring green ideas 

What are the macro trends in the global circular economy? 

What are the hot topics and technologies? By attending 

the 3 rd Chinaplas x CPRJ Plastics Recycling and Circular 

Economy Conference and Showcase, to be held one day 

prior to Chinaplas 2022 in Shanghai, attendees can get the 

answers from renowned speakers, who are to share their 

insights on relevant policies and industry trends, as well as 

the showcase of innovative solutions. 

Government officials, representatives from industry 

organizations, brands, machinery and material suppliers 

from different countries and regions are invited. They 

will deliver more than 50 speeches online and offline to 

400+ industry elites, of which over 60 % are end-product 

/ targeted manufacturers. The conference will outline the 

landscape and prospect of the plastics recycling industry 

in Asia and worldwide at large, by focusing on topics such 

as international trends and latest policies for plastics 

recycling, successful cases and achievements in recycling 

experiences, and innovative ideas. 

Thematic seminars will be held at the conference to 

facilitate the discussions on carbon neutrality, PCR/ 

PIR, renewable plastics, recycled ocean plastics, monomaterials, 

eco-design/design for recycling, chemical 

recycling, innovative solutions for plastics recycling, and 

new technologies for recycled materials. At the same time, 

world-leading enterprises in the scope of plastics recycling 

will showcase their latest solutions for new materials, 

technologies, and automation. Experts will also introduce 

their latest technological achievements and interact with 

the participants. 

Tech Talk: a showcase for green technologies 

Green will be seen as a focus of Chinaplas 2022 from the 

topics of Tech Talk. This concurrent event is a series of open 

forums under 8 themes, including antibacterial solutions, 

surface treatment solutions, in-mould electronic solutions, 

5G applications, eco-friendly solutions, lightweight 

solutions, innovative materials, of which the last three are 

more relevant to the green technologies and development. 

Leading enterprises from the plastics and rubber 

industries will participate in the event. Among others, Cathay 

Biotech will show its thermoplastic high-temperatureresistant 

biobased polyamide engineering plastic products 

and green lightweight materials (see also p. 18). 

Chinaplas has become a product debut platform for the 

plastics and rubber industries, where exhibitors launch a 

wide range of new products. Tech Talk is the annual stage 

for the plastics and rubber industries, to bring the spotlight 

to the new and edge-cutting products, helping new 

technological products to gain more exposure while visitors 

can get quick access to the resources of quality suppliers. 

Under the theme of “New Era · New Potential · Innovation 

for Sustainability”, Chinaplas 2022 will proudly return to the 

National Exhibition and Convention Center in Hongqiao, 

Shanghai, from April 25 - 28, 2022. MT 

www.chinaplasonline.com 

National Exhibition and Convention Center in Hongqiao, Shanghai 


7 th PLA World Congress 

24 + 25 MAY 2022 > MUNICH› GERMANY 

HYBRID EVENT 

Automotive 

organized by 

Call for papers still open 

www.pla-world-congress.com 

PLA is a versatile bioplastics raw material from renewable 

resources. It is being used for films and rigid packaging, for 

fibres in woven and non-woven applications. Automotive, 

consumer electronics and other industries are thoroughly 

investigating and even already applying PLA. New methods 

of polymerizing, compounding or blending of PLA have 

broadened the range of properties and thus the range of 

possible applications. That‘s why bioplastics MAGAZINE is 

now organizing the 7 th PLA World Congress on: 

24 + 25 May 2022 in Munich / Germany 

Hybrid event 

Experts from all involved fields will share their knowledge 

and contribute to a comprehensive overview of today‘s 

opportunities and challenges and discuss the possibilities, 

limitations and future prospects of PLA for all kind 

of applications. Like the six previous congresses the 

7 th PLA World Congress will also offer excellent networking 

opportunities for all delegates and speakers as well as 

exhibitors of the table-top exhibition. Based on the good 

experices with the hybrid format (bio!TOY and PHA World 

Congress 2021) we will offer this format also for future 

conferences, hoping the pandemic does no longer force us 

to. So the participation at the 7 th PLA World Congress will 

be possible on-site as well as online. 


Automotive 

Bio-PA 

composites 

Renewable 1,5 pentanediamine 

based polyamide composites for 

automotive applications 

250 — 

200 — 

150 — 

100 — 

50 — 

Comparison of basic physical properities of different materials 

Cathay Biotech, Shanghai, China, is a leader in 

synthetic biology specializing in the production of 

biobased polyamides that are based on its 100 % 

renewable 1,5-pentanediamine (DN5). The option of using 

either fossil-based or renewable diacids enables the biocontent 

level of PA5X to be as high as 100 %. Cathay has 

been engaged in the application and development of 

biobased PA5X and marketed these engineering polyamides 

under the tradename ECOPENT ® . The melting point of its 

Ecopent engineering materials can be varied from 197 ºC 

of Ecopent 3300 (E-3300) to 300 ºC of Ecopent 6300, which 

fulfils a plethora of different application requirements of 

polyamides. 

Recently, Cathay focused on the investigation and 

production of fibre-reinforced PA5X composite such as 

prepreg tape, which is an alternative solution for metal 

replacement. The continuous glass/carbon fibre-reinforced 

biobased PA5X (CFRT-PA5X) shows excellent mechanical 

properties, high specific strength, and specific modulus, 

among others. By modifying the manufacturing process, 

the fibre content of such CFRT-PA5X could be tuned flexibly 

from 50 % to 70 %, by weight, which provides for a high 

design flexibility of these products and would contribute to 

a significant weight reduction for automobile applications 

(among others). 

Using Ecopent 2260 (E-2260) as the matrix and glass/ 

carbon fibre as reinforcement, composites with different 

mechanical properties could be easily produced by 

employing proper processing technology. The produced 

composite exhibits increased tensile strength and tensile 

modulus with increasing fibre retention length. For 

example, the CFRT of E-2260 70 % GF possesses tensile 

strength higher than 1,000 MPa, while its density is onefourth 

that of steel. More importantly, its specific strength is 

three times that of super-steel. 

Moreover, CFRT-PA5X composites with higher mechanical 

properties could be produced by using continuous carbon 

fibre instead of glass. For instance, the CFRT of E-2260 

50 % CF has only one-third the density of super-steel but 

exhibits 10 % higher tensile strength than it. In addition, the 

specific strength and specific modulus of CFRT of E-2260 

50 % CF are six times and two times that of super-steel, 

respectively. 

Continuous fibre reinforced unidirectional 

prepreg tape 

Basically, the thickness of CFRT-PA5X unidirectional 

prepreg tape is between 0.25 mm and 0.30 mm. Their 

tensile strength is usually higher than 1,000 MPa, which is 

0 — 

1600 — 

1400 — 

1200 — 

1000 — 

800 — 

600 — 

400 — 

200 — 

Steel Super steel Aluminium E-2260- 

70%GF (CFRT) 

Tensile modulus (GPa) 

E-2260-70GF tape 

Tensile modulus (MPa) 

E-2260- 

50%CF (CFRT) 

Specific modulus (GPa-cm3/g) 

Properities of different unidirectional prepreg tape 

0 — 


1200 — 

1000 — 

800 — 

600 — 

400 — 

200 — 

700 — 

600 — 

500 — 

400 — 

300 — 

200 — 

100 — 

Comparison of different composite board 

0°C/90°C Bending strength (Mpa) 

E-2260-50CF 

0 — 

E3300-70%GF board E-2260-70%GF board PP-composite board 

0 — 

E-2260-50CF tape 

0°C Bending strength (Mpa) 

0°C Interlaminar shear strength (Mpa) 90°C Bending strength (MPa) 

Comparison of bending strength of PA5X-70%GF at 23°C and 70°C for 2h 

546,26 

E3300 

603,20 

631,02 

23°C 

E-2260 

666,76 

70°C 

434,52 

PP 

382,06 


1800 — 

1600 — 

1400 — 

1200 — 

1000 — 

800 — 

600 — 

400 — 

200 — 

0 — 

Comparison of basic physical properities of different materials 

Steel Super steel Aluminium E-2260- 

70%GF (CFRT) 

Tensile strength (MPa) 


Tensile modulus (MPa) 

E-2260- 

50%CF (CFRT) 

Specific strength (MPa-cm3/g) 

Properities of different unidirectional prepreg tape 

90 — 

80 — 

70 — 

60 — 

50 — 

40 — 

30 — 

20 — 

10 — 

0 — 


70 — 

60 — 

50 — 

40 — 

30 — 

20 — 

10 — 

0 — 

Comparison of different composite board 

E3300- 

70%GF board 

E-2260- 

70%GF board 

0°C/90°C Bending modulus (Gpa) 

90°C Bending modulus (Gpa) 

PPcomposite 

board 

E-2260-50CF 

E-2260- 

55%CF board 

0°C Bending modulus (Gpa) 

Comparison of bending modulus of PA5X-70%GF at 23°C and 70°C for 2h 

25 — 

23,83 

21,80 

By: 

Yuanpin Li, Qilei Song 

Engineering Plastics Application Development Engineer 

Cathay Biotech Inc. 

Shanghai, China 

affected by the fibre content and fibre type. Furthermore, 

through winding or moulding process technology, these 

prepreg tapes could be further applied in automobiles such 

as fender, front cover, and battery pack etc. 

Biobased PA5X composite board 

In terms of 70 % continuous glass fibre reinforced E-2260 

composite, its 0° bending strength could be up to 1,033 MPa, 

twice as strong as a PP composite with the same glass fibre 

content. Its 0° bending modulus also reaches 38 MPa, which 

is 30 % higher than that of a 70 % glass fibre reinforced 

PP composite. Furthermore, the 90° bending strength 

and 0° interlaminar shear strength of such biobased PA5X 

composite are 1.5 times that of PP composites with the 

same glass fibre content. 

When CFRT of E-2260 70 % GF, CFRT of E-3300 70 % GF, 

and PP composite are baked at 70 ºC for 2 h, the bending 

strength of E-3300 70 % GF and CFRT of E-2260 70 % GF is 

increased by 5 %, while PP ones are reduced by 12 %. The 

bending modulus of CFRT of E-2260 70 % GF is higher 40 % 

than that of PP composite at 70 °C. 

Application 

CFRT of PA5X, due to their extremely high strength-toweight 

and stiffness-to-weight ratios, can be a sustainable 

lightweight solution to meet increasingly challenging 

requirements from different industries, e.g., automotive, 

construction, or shipping. In addition, CFRT of PA5X have 

shown excellent chemical resistance, anti-fatigue and antimar 

performance depending on the biobased polyamide 

selected. The increase in temperature will lead to a decrease 

in the rigidity of composites. CFRT of biobased polyamides 

(E-3300 and 2260) have proven its advantage of mechanical 

performance at 70 °C, when compared with general plastic, 

like PP. This can make CFRT of biobased polyamides strong 

candidates for new vehicles, compressed gas tanks, or 

shipping containers, which needs much lighter, safer, and 

more efficient materials. 

www.cathaybiotech.com 

Automotive 

20 — 

15 — 

16,74 17,07 

16,84 

15,80 

10 — 

5 — 

0 — 

E3300 

E-2260 

PP 

23°C 

70°C 


Automotive 

Lightweight 

biobased 

cellulose 

reinforcement 

for automotive 

applications 

The automotive industry continuously strives to 

improve the driving range of cars. Whether being per 

litre of petrol for a combustion engine or in kilowatthour 

(kWh) for electrically powered vehicles. Car owners 

thereby receive a better mileage at lower cost, while CO 2 

emissions per kilometre driven are reduced as well. One 

way of achieving this is by reducing the overall weight of 

the car, which is becoming increasingly important for the 

comparatively heavier battery-powered electric vehicles. 

Cellulose fibre is one of the answers to address this 

need for weight reduction. Sappi Symbio is a lightweight 

cellulose solution to reinforce conventional thermoplastic 

and biobased plastics. Symbio provides a double advantage, 

it’s not only a lightweight material filler, but it also answers 

the increasingly important demand for more renewable and 

non-fossil based carbon materials. 

Symbio is a bio-renewable wood-based cellulose fibre 

that is an alternative to incumbent mineral materials like 

talc and (short) glass fibre. Due to its relatively low density 

of about 1.5 g/cm 3 , it decreases the overall material weight 

when added to a thermoplastic, in comparison to talc or 

glass. These are commonly used fillers to give a material 

more stiffness and strength. Figure 1 shows an example 

for a 20 % loaded polypropylene and its influence on the 

resulting material property in terms of weight. This weight 

saving opportunity, which can go up to 15 % (at 40 % cellulose 

load) has drawn the attention of several automotive OEMs 

who are already manufacturing car components with 

Symbio today. 

Symbio cellulose fibre reinforced compounds easily meet 

industry requirements of mechanical performance and can 

be a renewable alternative to typical mineral fillers. Table 1 

shows how the stiffness, in terms of flexural modulus, of 

polypropylene can be enhanced by Symbio in comparison 

to talc and short glass fibre (SGF). It also shows the heat 

deflection temperature for the various solutions which is 

increased compared to unfilled polypropylene but also to a 

talc-filled compound. 

As mentioned already, Symbio consists of wood-based 

cellulose. Cellulose is the most abundant organic polymer 

on earth and can be found in any plant-like material. 

There are many different sources today for cellulose fibre, 

like grass or bamboo, and likewise as many variations in 

quality and performance. Symbio is a premium quality 

cellulose fibre that is also used within Sappi for producing 

high-quality speciality paper or high-end paperboard. The 

fibre consistency, as well as the very high purity, is why 

car manufacturers and brand owners select Symbio as a 

material to use for interior car components. Where other 

natural fibres can have issues with odour or emission of 

volatile components, Symbio passes the most stringent 

requirements measured by internationally accepted 

standards. In the VDA 270 odour test, Sappi Symbio, 

measured on a plaque produced with Symbio PP40 

(containing 40 % cellulose) by a German OEM, receives a 

rating 2 classified as “perceptible, non-disturbing” (the 

scale ranges from 1 “imperceptible” to 6 “unbearable”). This 

rating allows the parts to be used in automotive interiors. 

Fig. 1 

Glass fibre 

Talc 

Symbio 

Cellulpse 

Density of 20 % filled polypropylene 

0,94 0,96 0,98 1 1,02 1,04 1,06 

Specific gravity g/cm 3 

Table 1 

Property 

Test method 

Symbio 

PP20 

Symbio 

PP20MI 

Symbio 

PP20HI 

PP + 20% talc PP + 20% SGF Units 

Reinforcement 

content 

- 20 20 20 20 20 Weight % 

Density ISO 1183 0.98 0.99 0.98 1.05 1.04 g/cm³ 

Tensile strength ISO 527-2/1A 49 34 23 28 85 MPa 

Flexural modulus ISO 178, 23°C 3,080 2,545 1,678 2,400 4,200 MPa 

Impact, Charpy 

notched (23°C) 

ISO 179-1 4.2 4.3 10 6 11 KJ/m² 

HDT-B at 0.45 MPa ISO 75 141 136 123 100 155 °C 


Symbio has also been selected for other fields of 

application besides interior car components. Manufacturers 

of home appliances and lifestyle & furniture are interested 

in Symbio due to its haptic response and the warmer 

touch which provides a part with a natural touch and feel. 

The examples given above were based on polypropylene 

By: 

Juul Cuijpers, Product Manager Symbio 

Sappi Europe | Sappi Netherlands Services BV 

Maastricht, The Netherlands 

but of course, Symbio is not limited to this thermoplastic. 

Applications made from biobased and/or biodegradable 

filled polymers like PLA and PHA are also possible and 

are receiving increased interest. The aim is to expand the 

current portfolio of Symbio products in the coming period. 

www.sappi.com 

Automotive 

Instrument panel 

Interior trims 

Air ducts 

Luggage board 

Centre console and armrest 

Cable tray 

23 – 24 March • Hybrid Event 

Leading Event on Carbon Capture & Utilisation 

• Strategy & Policy 

• Green Hydrogen Production 

• Carbon Capture Technologies 

• Carbon Utilisation (Power-to-X): Fuels for Transport and Aviation, Building Blocks, 

Bulk and Fine Chemicals, Advanced Technologies, Artificial Photosynthesis 

• Innovation Award “Best CO2 Utilisation 2022” 

Call for Innovation 

Vote for the Innovation 

Award “Best CO2 

Innovation Award 

Sponsor 


Co-Organiser 

Sponsors 

Utilisation 2022” 

Organiser 

nova-institute.eu 

Contact 

Dominik Vogt 

dominik.vogt@nova-institut.de 

Tel.: +49 2233 / 481449 

co2-chemistry.eu 


Tyre News 

How plastic bottles end up in tyres 

Tyres can’t last forever. However, the life cycle of the 

materials used in one tyre can be much longer than that 

of the tyre itself. Continental just got one 

step closer to the goal of tyres made 

from 100 % recycled or sustainable 

materials. “We are at the vanguard 

of a more eco-friendly automotive 

industry and are already committed 

to using new technologies that utilize 

recycled materials. From 2022, we will 

be able to use reprocessed polyethylene 

terephthalate (PET) in the construction 

of Continental tyre carcasses, completely 

replacing the use of conventional 

virgin PET,“ as a press release stated 

To re-use recycled PET bottles in tyres, 

Continental teamed up with OTIZ, a fibre 

specialist and textile manufacturer, to develop a specialized 

technology that produces high-quality polyester yarn from 

recycled PET without the chemical steps 

previously required in the recycling 

process. Polyester may not be the first 

material you think of when you see a car 

tyre, PET yarn is actually an essential 

ingredient that makes up the tyre carcass 

in the form of textile cords that run from 

bead to bead (the inner circle of the 

tyre). The horseshoe-shaped layer sits 

just above the inner liner, affecting tyre 

durability, load carriage, and comfort. 

It’s the backbone of the tyre, sustains 

loads, and absorbs shock. It maintains its 

Picture: Continental 

shape even at very high temperatures, so 

thermal stability is crucial. MT 

www.continental-tires.com 

Biobased itaconate butadiene rubber 

Last year the the Beijing University of Chemical Technology introduced biobased itaconate butadiene rubber. This project, led 

by professor Liqun Zhang started the research in 2008. After 13 years a new generation of high performance and biobased 

itaconate butadiene rubber has been successfully developed by professor Zhang’s team. The first class of macromolecular 

chain structures based on an itaconic acid resource is epoxy group functionalized poly(dibutyl itaconate-co-butadieneglycidyl 

methacrylate) (PDBIBG). It can realize the high value-added utilization of biomass resources and promote green and 

sustainable development within the rubber industry. 

Itaconic acid is a promising organic acid that has been categorized as one of the top 12 building block molecules in advanced 

biorefineries. The specific steps for constructing high molecular weight, crosslinkable biobased rubber with itaconic acid as 

the main raw material are as follows (see graph): 

• Step 1: Fermentation of biomass resources such as corn and sugar cane to obtain itaconic acid. 

• Step 2: In order to obtain high molecular weight polymers, itaconate monomer is obtained by 

esterification of biobased alcohol. 

• Step 3: Preparation of itaconate/butadiene/glycidyl methacrylate copolymer by low-temperature 

redox emulsion polymerization. 

The comprehensive properties of the functionalized biobased itaconate butadiene rubber finally obtained are comparable 

or even superior to traditional rubbers. By calculation, the production of biobased itaconate butadiene rubber per tonne can 

reduce carbon emissions by 1.44 tonnes compared with traditional petroleum-based rubber, which can provide positive support 

for the world’s carbon peak and carbon neutral strategy. 

By combining a molecular structural design with non-petroleum based silica and an in situ process to tune the viscoelastic 

properties of the elastomer composites, silica/PDBIBG nanocomposite based green tyres that have low rolling resistance, 

excellent wet skid resistance, and good wear resistance were successfully manufactured, which can promote fuel efficiency 

and reduce dependence on petrochemical resources. 

With the joint efforts of the Beijing University of Chemical Technology, Shandong Chambroad Sinopoly New Material, Shandong 

Linglong Tire and The Goodyear Tire & Rubber Company, the world’s first one-tonne production line of PDBIBG materials 

was successfully established 

in China, and PDBIBG tyres 

were manufactured and tested. 

The rolling resistance and 

wet skid resistance are rated 

at the B level by the EU Tyre 

Labeling Regulation 1222/2009, 

which includes the first batch 

of functionalized biobased 

itaconate butadiene rubber 

radial tyres in the world. MT 

https://english.buct.edu.cn/ 


BIOMOTIVE 

The amount of plastics used in the production of a car is 

over 20 % of its weight, excluding car tyres. The automotive 

sector production, despite the increasing use of advanced 

technologies and the implementation of further restrictions on 

the emission of harmful substances, still generates significant 

environmental costs. Shrinking crude oil resources and higher 

costs of its acquisition, as well as the production and recycling 

of plastics, are essential drivers of change throughout 

the production chain. Polyurethane foams and materials, 

synthetic components for vehicles in the automotive market, 

all these products are petroleum-based and force the market 

to look for sustainable alternatives. 

The Biomotive project, which is part of the European 

program Horizon 2020 and Bio-Based Industries Joint 

Undertaking, is a project dedicated primarily to the automotive 

sector, innovative technologies in the field of polyurethane 

production and presentation of their advantages over the 

previously used polyurethanes of petrochemical origin. 

The European Union declares to achieve climate neutrality 

by 2050, the solutions developed by the Biomotive Project offer 

an opportunity for manufacturers to meet new challenges 

and expectations of increasingly environmentally conscious 

customers and new legislations. 

The main objectives of the project are to demonstrate on 

an industrial scale the production of innovative polymeric 

materials of natural origin: thermoplastic polyurethanes, 

2-component polyurethane foams and regenerated cellulose 

fibres. 

The raw materials on which the production of Biomotive 

polymers is based are mainly wood pulp, sugars, and vegetable 

oils, they are fully renewable and do not interfere with food 

production. Another advantage is also that it can be grown on 

marginal lands, with low water demand and no special care 

related to its cultivation. 

Other materials were also tested: flexible car seat foams 

with 60 % biobased carbon content have been developed, 

offering the same level of comfort as current car seat foams. 

Also, upholstery fabrics that covered biofoams, i.e. seats in the 

broadly understood automotive industry (although they can 

also be used in the furniture industry), were made of almost 

100 % materials of biological origin. The use of natural fabrics 

increases the overall biological content to nearly 70 %. 

The Biomotive project brings together scientific and 

research institutes, producers of biomass raw materials, 

manufacturers of car parts as well as certification companies 

in a European consortium. The result of this cooperation is a 

complete, fully researched, and documented production chain, 

from the acquisition of bio-raw materials to the subsequent 

recycling of specific elements of car, coach, bus, and special 

vehicle equipment, as well as the above-mentioned furniture 

or vertical garden structures. 

Bio-polyurethane production technologies developed under 

the Biomotive project are also used in other industries in terms 

of ready products and recycled raw materials. For example, 

TPU and polyurethane foams will be used as additives for 

asphalts, second-component adhesives, and the production 

of soles. 

The implementation of the Biomotive project will not only 

significantly reduce the consumption of fossil resources in the 

production process of polyurethane foam or TPU but could also 

create new jobs in the sectors of bioproduction, green chemistry 

and agriculture. 

This project has received funding from the Bio-Based Industries 

Joint Undertaking under the European Union’s Horizon 2020 

research and innovation programme under grant agreement No 

745766. MT 

https://biomotive.info 

Low-carbon PLA Film for Various Applications 

BiONLY TM , a novel PLA (polylactic acid) 

film, developed by Xiamen Changsu 

Industrial Co., Ltd.. This biodegradable 

material can be degraded into carbon 

dioxide and water under certain 

conditions, which can effectively 

reduce the carbon footprint. It’s an 

ideal eco-friendly packaging material. 

Biaxially oriented process greatly improves the mechanical properties 

of PLA film and further expands its application field, which is of great 

significance to packaging reduction, environmental protection and 

carbon reduction. 

Automotive 

www.changsufilm.com 


Automotive 

Automotive Bioplastics Market 

Future Market Insights (FMI), Dubai, United Arab 

Emirates, has forecasted the Automotive Bioplastics 

Market to grow with a year on year growth of 10.3 % in 

2022 reaching a value of about USD 687.5 Mn by 2022 end. 

The new research study on the automotive bioplastic 

market contains global industry analysis for 2014-2018 and 

opportunity assessment for 2022–2029. 

Automotive Bioplastics Market Base Year Value (2021A) USD 623.3 M 

Automotive Bioplastics Market Estimated Year Value (2022E) USD 687.5 M 

Automotive Bioplastics Market Projected Year Value (2029F) USD 1,442.2 M 

Value CAGR (2022–2029) 10.7% 

Collective Value Share: Top 3 Countries (2022E) 49.4% 

The research study covers the latest trends, market 

influencing factors, key success factors, forecasting factors, 

macroeconomics factors, key information, and past market 

scenario. The report examines the automotive bioplastic 

market and delivers critical insights for the forecast period 

of 2022–2029. 

The global automotive bioplastic market is estimated 

to be valued at ~USD 687.5 Mn in 2022 and is expected to 

increase at a CAGR of ~11 % during the forecast period. As 

per the comprehensive analysis provided in the report, the 

global automotive bioplastic market is anticipated to witness 

considerable growth in the coming years owing to the steady 

increase in the adoption of bioplastic materials for various car 

components. 

Application-wise, the interior segment is expected to hold 

a prominent value share of the global automotive bioplastic 

market. This segment includes seats, dashboard, air-duct, 

HVAC, and other related interior components. 

Automotive bioplastic materials tend to reduce dependency 

on fossil resources, according to FMI’s analysis. They 

materials are not as affected by oil price instability the way 

petroleum-based materials are. Automotive bioplastics help 

reduce the dependency on limited fossil resources, which is a 

key growth driver for the market, with fuel prices projected to 

surge significantly over the coming years. 

Rising Demand for Electric Vehicles to Create 

High Growth Opportunities 

Increasing environmental awareness and inconsistent 

fuel prices have influenced consumers, particularly in 

developed countries of North America and Europe, to opt 

for electric car models, such as plug-in hybrid electric 

vehicles (PHEV) and battery electric vehicles (BEV). 

Growing urban population, incentives for use of 

electric vehicles, reducing battery prices, strengthening 

transportation infrastructure in developed and emerging 

countries, and inter-governmental steps for electric 

vehicles are further driving the adoption of electric cars. 

This, in turn, is anticipated to contribute to the demand for 

automotive bioplastic materials during the forecast period. 

Governments have put immense pressure on automotive 

manufacturers to reduce vehicle weight to achieve fuel 

economy. Nowadays, weights of vehicle modules in newer 

vehicles are much lighter than conventional ones, which 

had metal bodywork. It has been observed that these were 

nearly 20 % heavier than today’s modules. 

Companies are heavily investing in research & 

development and manufacturing strategies to reduce the 

weight of several body components. OEMs prefer bioplasticbased 

materials over conventional raw materials (steel) 

for specific applications as these help reduce the weight 

of the vehicle significantly and have other technological 

advancements over other materials. 

The report highlights some of the prominent market 

players, who have established themselves as leaders in the 

global automotive bioplastic market. A few examples of key 

players in the automotive bioplastic market are Mitsubishi 

Chemical Corporation, Total Corbion PLA, NatureWorks 

LLC, Solvay Group, Eastman Chemical, Arkema Group, 

Braskem, Evonik Industries AG, BASF SE, and Dow 

Chemical Company, among others. 

The complete report can be purchased from USD 5,000 

at Future Market Insights (see website). MT 

www.futuremarketinsights.com/reports/automotive-bioplastic-market 

Magnetic 

for Plastics 

www.plasticker.com 

• International Trade 

in Raw Materials, Machinery & Products Free of Charge. 

• Daily News 

from the Industrial Sector and the Plastics Markets. 

• Current Market Prices 

for Plastics. 

• Buyer’s Guide 

for Plastics & Additives, Machinery & Equipment, Subcontractors 

and Services. 

• Job Market 

for Specialists and Executive Staff in the Plastics Industry. 

Up-to-date • Fast • Professional 


fossil 

available at www.renewable-carbon.eu/graphics 

Refining 

Polymerisation 

Formulation 

Processing 

Use 

renewable 

Depolymerisation 

Solvolysis 

Thermal depolymerisation 

Enzymolysis 

Purification 

Dissolution 

Recycling 

Conversion 

Pyrolysis 

Gasification 

allocated 

Recovery 

Recovery 

Recovery 

conventional 

© -Institute.eu | 2021 


PVC 

EPDM 

PMMA 

PP 

PE 

Vinyl chloride 

Propylene 

Unsaturated polyester resins 

Methyl methacrylate 

PEF 

Polyurethanes 

MEG 

Building blocks 

Natural rubber 

Aniline Ethylene 

for UPR 

Cellulose-based 

2,5-FDCA 

polymers 

Building blocks 

for polyurethanes 

Levulinic 

acid 

Lignin-based polymers 

Naphtha 

Ethanol 

PET 

PFA 

5-HMF/5-CMF FDME 

Furfuryl alcohol 

Waste oils 

Casein polymers 

Furfural 

Natural rubber 

Saccharose 

PTF 

Starch-containing 

Hemicellulose 

Lignocellulose 

1,3 Propanediol 

polymer compounds 

Casein 

Fructose 

PTT 

Terephthalic 

Non-edible milk 

acid 

MPG NOPs 

Starch 

ECH 

Glycerol 

p-Xylene 

SBR 

Plant oils 

Fatty acids 

Castor oil 

11-AA 

Glucose Isobutanol 

THF 

Sebacic 

Lysine 

PBT 

acid 

1,4-Butanediol 

Succinic 

acid 

DDDA 

PBAT 

Caprolactame 

Adipic 

acid 

HMDA DN5 

Sorbitol 

3-HP 

Lactic 

acid 

Itaconic 

Acrylic 

PBS(x) 

acid 

acid 

Isosorbide 

PA 

Lactide 

Superabsorbent polymers 

Epoxy resins 

ABS 

PHA 

APC 

PLA 

available at www.renewable-carbon.eu/graphics 

■ 

■ 

■ 

■ 

■ 

■ 

■ 

■ 

■ 

■ 

■ 

■ 

■ 

■ 

■ 

■ 

O 

OH 

HO 

OH 

HO 

OH 

O 

OH 

■ 

■ 

■ 

■ 

■ 

■ 

■ 

■ 

■ 

■ 

■ 

■ 

■ 

■ 

■ 

HO 

OH 

O 

OH 

O 

OH 


All figures available at www.bio-based.eu/markets 

Adipic acid (AA) 

11-Aminoundecanoic acid (11-AA) 

1,4-Butanediol (1,4-BDO) 

Dodecanedioic acid (DDDA) 

Epichlorohydrin (ECH) 

Ethylene 

Furan derivatives 

D-lactic acid (D-LA) 

L-lactic acid (L-LA) 

Lactide 

Monoethylene glycol (MEG) 

Monopropylene glycol (MPG) 

Naphtha 

1,5-Pentametylenediamine (DN5) 

1,3-Propanediol (1,3-PDO) 

Sebacic acid 

Succinic acid (SA) 


nova Market and Trend Reports 

on Renewable Carbon 

The Best Available on Bio- and CO2-based Polymers 

& Building Blocks and Chemical Recycling 

Automotive 

Bio-based Naphtha 

and Mass Balance Approach 

Status & Outlook, Standards & 

Certification Schemes 

Bio-based Building Blocks and 

Polymers – Global Capacities, 

Production and Trends 2020 – 2025 

Polymers 

Carbon Dioxide (CO 2) as Chemical 

Feedstock for Polymers 

Technologies, Polymers, Developers and Producers 

Principle of Mass Balance Approach 

Building Blocks 

Feedstock 

Process 

Products 

Intermediates 

Use of renewable feedstock 

in very first steps of 

chemical production 

(e.g. steam cracker) 

Utilisation of existing 

integrated production for 

all production steps 

Allocation of the 

renewable share to 

selected products 

Feedstocks 

Authors: Michael Carus, Doris de Guzman and Harald Käb 

March 2021 

This and other reports on renewable carbon are available at 

www.renewable-carbon.eu/publications 

Authors: Pia Skoczinski, Michael Carus, Doris de Guzman, 

Harald Käb, Raj Chinthapalli, Jan Ravenstijn, Wolfgang Baltus 

and Achim Raschka 

January 2021 



Authors: Pauline Ruiz, Achim Raschka, Pia Skoczinski, 

Jan Ravenstijn and Michael Carus, nova-Institut GmbH, Germany 

January 2021 



Chemical recycling – Status, Trends 

and Challenges 

Technologies, Sustainability, Policy and Key Players 

Production of Cannabinoids via 

Extraction, Chemical Synthesis 

and Especially Biotechnology 

Current Technologies, Potential & Drawbacks and 

Future Development 

Commercialisation updates on 

bio-based building blocks 

Plastic recycling and recovery routes 

Bio-based building blocks 

Evolution of worldwide production capacities from 2011 to 2024 

Primary recycling 

(mechanical) 

Virgin Feedstock Renewable Feedstock 

Monomer 

Polymer 

Plastic 

Product 

Secondary recycling 

(mechanical) 

Tertiary recycling 

(chemical) 

Secondary 

valuable 

materials 

CO 2 capture 

Chemicals 

Fuels 

Others 

Plant extraction 

Chemical synthesis 

Cannabinoids 

Plant extraction 

Genetic engineering 

Biotechnological production 

Production capacities (million tonnes) 

4 

3 

2 

1 

2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 2024 

Product (end-of-use) 

Quaternary recycling 

(energy recovery) 

Energy 

Landfill 

Author: Lars Krause, Florian Dietrich, Pia Skoczinski, 

Michael Carus, Pauline Ruiz, Lara Dammer, Achim Raschka, 

nova-Institut GmbH, Germany 

November 2020 

This and other reports on the bio- and CO 2-based economy are 

available at www.renewable-carbon.eu/publications 

Authors: Pia Skoczinski, Franjo Grotenhermen, Bernhard Beitzke, 

Michael Carus and Achim Raschka 

January 2021 



Author: 

Doris de Guzman, Tecnon OrbiChem, United Kingdom 

Updated Executive Summary and Market Review May 2020 – 

Originally published February 2020 

This and other reports on the bio- and CO 2-based economy are 

available at www.bio-based.eu/reports 

Levulinic acid – A versatile platform 

chemical for a variety of market applications 

Global market dynamics, demand/supply, trends and 

market potential 

HO 

O 

O 

OH 

diphenolic acid 

O 

O 

H 2N 

OH 

O 

levulinate ketal 

O 

OH 

O 

OH 

5-aminolevulinic acid 

O 

O 

O 

O 

levulinic acid 

OR 

levulinic ester 

O 

O 

ɣ-valerolactone 

OH 

HO 

H 

N 

O 

O 

O 

succinic acid 

5-methyl-2-pyrrolidone 

OH 

Succinic acid – From a promising 

building block to a slow seller 

What will a realistic future market look like? 

Pharmaceutical/Cosmetic 

Acidic ingredient for denture cleaner/toothpaste 

Antidote 

Calcium-succinate is anticarcinogenic 

Efferescent tablets 

Intermediate for perfumes 

Pharmaceutical intermediates (sedatives, 

antiphlegm/-phogistics, antibacterial, disinfectant) 

Preservative for toiletries 

Removes fish odour 

Used in the preparation of vitamin A 

Food 

Bread-softening agent 

Flavour-enhancer 

Flavouring agent and acidic seasoning 

in beverages/food 

Microencapsulation of flavouring oils 

Preservative (chicken, dog food) 

Protein gelatinisation and in dry gelatine 

desserts/cake flavourings 

Used in synthesis of modified starch 

Succinic 

Acid 

Industrial 

De-icer 

Engineering plastics and epoxy curing 

agents/hardeners 

Herbicides, fungicides, regulators of plantgrowth 

Intermediate for lacquers + photographic chemicals 

Plasticizer (replaces phtalates, adipic acid) 

Polymers 

Solvents, lubricants 

Surface cleaning agent 

(metal-/electronic-/semiconductor-industry) 

Other 

Anodizing Aluminium 

Chemical metal plating, electroplating baths 

Coatings, inks, pigments (powder/radiation-curable 

coating, resins for water-based paint, 

dye intermediate, photocurable ink, toners) 

Fabric finish, dyeing aid for fibres 

Part of antismut-treatment for barley seeds 

Preservative for cut flowers 

Soil-chelating agent 

Standards and labels for 

bio-based products 

Authors: Achim Raschka, Pia Skoczinski, Raj Chinthapalli, 

Ángel Puente and Michael Carus, nova-Institut GmbH, Germany 

October 2019 

This and other reports on the bio-based economy are available at 

www.bio-based.eu/reports 

Authors: Raj Chinthapalli, Ángel Puente, Pia Skoczinski, 

Achim Raschka, Michael Carus, nova-Institut GmbH, Germany 

October 2019 



Authors: Lara Dammer, Michael Carus and Dr. Asta Partanen 

nova-Institut GmbH, Germany 

May 2017 



renewable-carbon.eu/publications 


Automotive 

Why cycle 

when you could travel in style? 

By Alex Thielen 

The Finnish entrepreneur and guitar maker Ari-Jukka 

Luomaranta introduces a new way to travel in style – the 

Kinner-car, a modern retro-style velomobile. The Kinner is a 

two-seat four-wheel muscle-powered pedalcar – a humanpowered 

sportscar if you will. It has an electrical engine 

comparable to e-bikes with an assisted top speed of 25 km/h 

– you can go faster, on pure muscle power. The electrical 

assist can be turned off for the really ambitious drivers, but if 

active it makes low speed driving easy and comfortable. 

It has narrow and light road bike wheels, but tyres can be 

changed bigger for gravel roads. All composite parts can 

be made of fibreglass, carbon fibre, or a green biobased 

composite material making it overall very light. The Kinnercar 

won’t get a roof, but rather some kind of cover to protect 

the cockpit from the elements when left outside. 

However, at this point it is still a working prototype, so we 

do not have any information on the exact weight just yet. The 

first prototype is made of composites using fibreglass and 

carbon fibre. So there is no green prototype yet, but Ari-Jukka 

told bioplastics MAGAZINE that he plans to experiment with 

composite parts infused with greenpoxy and flax fibre. “Here 

in my area, west coast of Finland, we have a lot of knowhow 

in composites as we have many boat factories. (They are) 

making various kinds of motorboats, as well as sailboats also 

for competition, with a range of extreme requirements. We got 

the idea from Finnish boatmakers like Swan and Baltic-yacht. 

Baltic, for example, is making their Cafe racer by using the 

same principle to substitute as much carbon fibre as possible 

with flax.” 

What we do know are the general specs of the Kinner-car, 

it’s (currently) 285 cm long, 100 cm wide and has a wheelbase 

of 220 cm. Furthermore, it is registered as a power-assisted 

bicycle – no driving license is needed (in the EU). It is great for 

both shopping and travel as it has a large space for luggage 

under the hood. An integrated PIN-code-activated anti-theft 

system is planned as well. 

There will be various customizable options for the Kinnercar. 

Beyond the choice of various colours, there are also 

nice extras like side windscreen, mirrors, lights & blinkers 

integrated into the electric system which can be used like a 

sport watch. 

The stylish velomobile is a local production to make it as 

eco-friendly as possible, no overseas production is used for 

cheap labour or to get rid of environmental regulations. The 

individual parts don’t have to travel far either – everything is 

based around the town of Kokkola, Finland. 

The Kinner-car certainly is a luxury means of transportation 

with a price tag of 15,000 EUR (~12,000 EUR tax-free outside 

of the EU). There is a reservation option of 500 EUR that will 

help with getting the things rolling, which will be paid back 

with a 20 % bonus (so 600 EUR) after delivery – starting in 

April 2022. 

www.kinner-car.com | https://greenpoxy.org 


Automotive 


Automotive 

Sustainable materials in 

high-end luxury car 

Pictures courtesy Daimler 

The VISION EQXX is the result of a mission Mercedes- 

Benz (Stuttgart, Germany) set themselves to break 

through technological barriers across the board and 

to lift energy efficiency to new heights. It demonstrates 

the gains that are possible through rethinking the 

fundamentals from the ground up. This includes advances 

across all elements of its cutting-edge electric drivetrain as 

well as the use of lightweight engineering and sustainable 

materials. 

While Vision EQXX offers many innovations that are 

worthwhile to talk about this article will focus mainly on the 

sustainable materials used. 

Marking the launch of a new, super-purist design style, 

the Vision EQXX represents a new expression of efficiency in 

interior design. In a departure from the conventional design 

approach, the interior layout focuses on just a few modules 

and the beautiful simplicity of lightweight design. This is 

expressed through the absence of complex shapes and 

the integration of lightweight structures into the interior 

aesthetic in a wholly organic way, making traditional trim 

elements superfluous. 

The interior features many innovative materials sourced 

from start-ups around the world. For example, the 

door pulls are made from AMsilk’s (Planegg, Germany) 

Biosteel® fibre. This high-strength, certified-vegan, silklike 

fabric is made using AMSilk’s proprietary biotechnology 

expertise. AMSilk is the world’s first industrial supplier 

of vegan silk biopolymers which are biodegradable, 

recyclable, renewable, and zero-waste. Marking a first 

in the automotive sector, Biosteel provides a solution to 

the car industry whose need to replace petroleum-based 

content with natural, biobased materials is increasingly 

growing. (For some more info on Biosteel see bM 04/17) 

Another sustainable material gracing the interior of the 

Vision EQXX is Mylo TM (Emeryville, California, USA), a verified 

vegan leather alternative made from mycelium, which is the 

underground rootlike structure of mushrooms. It is certified 

biobased, which means it is made predominantly from 

renewable ingredients found in nature. This completely new 

material category created by the power of biotechnology is 

designed to be less harmful to the environment and is used 

for details of the seat cushions in the Vision EQXX. 

The animal-free leather alternative called Deserttex ® , 

made by Desserto’s (Guadalajara, Mexico), is a sustainable 

cactus-based biomaterial made from pulverised cactus 

fibres combined with a sustainable biobased polyurethane 

matrix. In this combination, the leather alternative has 

an exceptionally supple finish that is extremely soft to the 

touch. Forthcoming versions have a higher cactus content, 

giving this material the potential to halve the ecological 

footprint associated with conventional artificial leathers. 

On the floor, the carpets in the Vision EQXX are made 

from 100 % bamboo fibre. In addition to being fastgrowing 

and renewable, this natural raw material offers an 

extremely luxurious look and feel. Mercedes-Benz chose 

these sustainable, innovative, high-performance materials 

because they, and others like them, have the potential to 

replace all sorts of petroleum- and animal-based products 

currently used in automotive applications. Together, they 

show a way forward for luxury design that conserves 

resources and is in balance with nature. 

Elsewhere, the Vision EQXX makes extensive use of 

recycled waste materials, such as the recycled PET bottles 

used in a shimmering textile to enhance the floor area 

and door trim. Higher up in the interior, the designers 

used DINAMICA®, from Vyva Fabrics (Amsterdam, The 

Netherlands) made from 38 % recycled PET to create a 

wrap-around effect linking the upper edge of the onepiece 

screen with the doors and headliner. The interior also 

features UBQ material, a sustainable plastic substitute 

made from household and municipal landfill waste. 


Automotive 

UBQ is also used in the largest aluminium structural 

casting at Mercedes-Benz, BIONEQXX is the major 

structural component at the rear end of the VISION EQXX 

– the rear floor. 

The most important of the structural criteria here 

is the need for very high stiffness and excellent crash 

performance. The beauty of the one-part BIONEQXX casting 

is the ability to pair this with functional integration within 

an extremely lightweight single component rather than an 

assembly of multiple parts joined together. 

The one-part casting has a web-like appearance with gaps 

where there is no need for structural elements. However, 

the rear floor of a vehicle is subject to more than just 

physical loads in everyday use. It has to withstand attempts 

by nature to get inside the car in the form of water and dirt. 

To address this, Mercedes-Benz engineers turned once 

more to external partner UBQ Materials. The sustainable 

plastic substitute developed by the Israel-based (Tel Aviv) 

start-up is made from the kind of waste that typically ends 

up in landfill. The cooperation between Mercedes and UBQ 

won the Sustainability Award in Automotive 2021 in the “best 

start-up” category. UBQ is not just suitable for prototype 

applications, it also offers very strong potential for transfer 

into series production in the near future. 

The openings in the BIONEQXX rear-floor casting were 

closed using patches made from UBQ produced on a 3D 

printer. A total of 42 UBQ patches were designed using 

shape optimisation to achieve extremely high stiffness 

and good sound-dampening qualities. Once inserted into 

the BIONEQXX casting using a special bonding process, 

the final unit is fully sealed against the ravages of water 

and dirt. The resulting part indicates that this innovative 

engineering approach has the potential to achieve weight 

savings of 15–20 % compared to a conventionally produced 

component. It marks a milestone in lightweight design that 

meets the exacting Mercedes-Benz quality requirements 

Jack “Tato” Bigio, Co-CEO and Co-Founder at UBQ- 

Materials, talked about their collaboration with Mercedes- 

Benz. “UBQ is used for a large number of plastic parts (in 

the Vision EQXX), it’s inside the rear of the car, it’s in the car, 

it’s in the motor – it was a very fruitful collaboration. (…) 

Mercedes-Benz is among the leading luxury car companies 

in the world and working together with them has just been 

really rewarding. They have very demanding requirements, 

certifications, and validating processes. Crossing all those 

barriers and becoming part of a Mercedes car is a dream 

come true,” Tato told bioplastics MAGAZINE. Due to time and 

space constraints we decided to publish the remainder of 

this interview in a later issue focusing on UBQ materials 

as a whole. 

In any case, it is great to see so many renewable materials 

used in high-end luxury cars, showing not only that they are 

viable design choices, but can compete with conventional 

plastic materials for technical applications as well. AT 

www.daimler.com | www.biosteel-fiber.com | www.mylo-unleather.com 

www.deserttex.com | www.vyvafabrics.com | www.ubqmaterials.com 

VISION EQXX: key technical data at a glance* 

Battery energy 

content, usable 

kWh 900 

Energy consumption 

kWh/100 km 

6) 

cd value 0.17** 

Max. power output kW ~150 

Wheelbase cm 280 

Gross vehicle weight kg ~1,750 

*: Range figures preliminary and based on digital simulations in 

real-life traffic conditions. The VISION EQXX has not undergone 

type approval or homologation 

** cd figure measured in the Daimler aero-acoustic wind tunnel at 

a wind speed of 140 km/h 


Automotive 

Bioconcept-Car has 3 new siblings 

The development goes on with a lot of natural fibre composites, and more… 

Photo: Four Motors, Johannes Nollmeyer 

L 

ongtime readers of bioplastics MAGAZINE know that the 

Bioconcept-Car, created by Four Motors (Reutlingen, 

Germany) has always been one of our favourite subjects. 

When we visited the first edition (a biodiesel Ford Mustang) at 

the famous Nürburgring racetrack in Germany for our 01/2007 

cover story, Alex, still a teenager then, was already on board. A 

Renault Mégane, a Volkswagen Scirocco and several Porsches 

followed. Some editions were even presented live at our bio!CAR 

conferences. 

For many, sustainability and racing sounds like a contradiction 

in terms. But it is not: “Especially in view of today’s diesel and 

particulate matter debates, environmentally-friendly mobility is 

becoming increasingly important. A switch to electric mobility 

is not possible from one day to the next. Alternatives must be 

created for a continuous transition to conserve finite resources 

and make them available to future generations for as long 

as possible,” explained Thomas (Tom) von Löwis of Menar, 

Managing Director of Four Motors. 

Driven by this pioneering spirit, every two to three years 

since 2006 unique prototypes have been created which serve 

as a platform for environmentally-friendly technologies, set 

standards and have had to prove themselves many times under 

the extreme competitive conditions of motorsports. As the 

“fastest test laboratory in the world,” Four Motors is competing 

with the Bioconcept-Car in the Nürburgring Endurance Series 

(NLS) and the international 24-hour race at the Nürburgring 

to test the sustainable concepts under the toughest real-life 

conditions and to make the abstract topic of renewables tangible. 

“In our beloved Green Hell, we show that sustainable mobility and 

driving pleasure are not mutually exclusive,” said driver Smudo, 

who is – by the way – the frontman of the famous and successful 

German Hip-hop band Die Fantastischen Vier (The Fantastic 

Four – not to be confused with the Marvel superheroes). After 

all, the aim of the project is not only to make effective use of 

renewable resources and promote the development of a climatefriendly 

car. Together with its various partners, Four Motors is 

also providing food for thought to draw public attention to the 

new possibilities and performance of these promising materials. 

The Bio-Trio 

Now the racing team around Tom owns and races three 

Porsche Bioconcept-Cars at the same time. The Bio-Trio 

consists of: 

1) a Porsche 911 GT3 Cup 

2) a Porsche 718 Cayman GT4 Clubsport 

3) a Porsche Cayman GT4 Clubsport 981 

The green pioneers take their responsibility seriously without 

losing the fun of racing. In these three vehicles, the Bioconcept- 

Car team combines three pillars of sustainability: 

These are, of course, biobased materials which we will touch 

on in more detail below. In addition, the team looks into reducing 

CO 2 

through re-refined engine and gearbox oil and advanced 

fuels. 

The Bio-Trio is driving with re-refined engine and gearbox 

oil from sponsor duo Wolf Oil Corporation and Teco2il. Using 

patented high-tech processes, the Finnish refinery Teco2il 

processes used oils up to high-quality base oils, which are 

even purer than freshly produced base oils originating from 

crude oil. The Belgian lubricants company Wolf Oil Corporation 

formulates the base oils into high-performance oils so that they 

can be used in the engine and transmission sector. The use of 

these sustainable oils significantly reduces the CO 2 

footprint. 

Consistently implemented, this means a crude oil saving of more 

than two thirds and a corresponding reduction in CO 2 

emissions 

up to 80 % in the manufacturing process. 

The second pillar is the fuel. The E20 high-performance fuel 

from CropEnergies also ensures a significantly improved energy 

balance of the three Porsche race cars. E20 is a blend of 80 % 

petrol and 20 % sustainably produced bioethanol, which reduces 

CO 2 

emissions by approximately 70 % compared to a conventional 

super petrol. During the production of bioethanol, the CO 2 

emission is completely captured during the entire process chain, 

annually examined and certified by independent institutions. The 

production of domestic agricultural raw materials requires only 

1 % of the agricultural land for the entire European bioethanol 

industry. “And the development in terms of fuels goes on,” as 

Tom von Löwis told bioplastics MAGAZINE. 

And last but not at all least, lightweight components from 

bio-fibre composites. Since the beginning, in 2006, Four Motors 

has been using resource-conserving biomaterials in their 

Bioconcept-Cars, which are also particularly light to reduce the 

vehicle’s fuel consumption. They have been working together 

with the Fraunhofer WKI application centre in Hannover, 

Germany for nine years. In 2017, the partners were strengthened 

for the first time by innovative German car manufacturer 

Porsche. The development cooperation is funded by the German 

Federal Ministry of Food and Agriculture (BMEL). Together with 

the natural fibre specialists from Bcomp (Fribourg, Switzerland), 

pioneering lightweight components made of natural fibre 

composites are being developed, designed, produced, and tested 

for suitability for series production in the Bioconcept-Car. By 

using lightweight components based on flax fibres, the weight 

of the bio-components has been almost matched to that of 

lightweight carbon versions. 

As part of the project, Bcomp conducted a full sustainability 

analysis comparing the natural fibre composites to the 

conventional carbon fibre parts. The Bcomp solution offered a 

94 % reduction in material emissions and a 90 % reduction in 

30 bioplastics MAGAZINE [04/21] Vol. 16

cradle-to-gate emissions. While carbon fibre parts are often 

discarded in landfills, Bcomp’s alternative brings a number of 

sustainable end-of-life options to help further minimise the 

cradle-to-grave impact. Thanks to highly efficient 

thermal energy recovery, components that are no 

longer in use or broken can be used to supply the 

production of new parts with renewable energy and 

form a sustainable process without residual waste. 

Porsche 911 GT3 Cup 

Vol. 2 ISSN 1862-5258 

The Porsche 911 GT3 Cup II is the first car to 

feature bio-fibre-doors produced using an RTM (Resin 

Transfer Moulding) process that enables the lightweight 

components to be mass-produced. In our interview, 

Tom told bioplastics MAGAZINE that the 911 had a severe 

accident in 2021, and “the whole car was destroyed, but 

NOT the doors,” as he pointed out. 

Porsche 718 Cayman GT4 Clubsport 

The 718 Cayman GT4 Clubsport is the first series-produced 

racing car to rely on sustainably manufactured body parts: The 

doors, rear wing, and front lip are made of the biocomposite 

materials that were previously successfully tested by Smudo 

on the Nürburgring Nordschleife. In 2020 Four Motors, Bcomp, 

Porsche Motorsport, and Manthey-Racing also constructed 

and produced a lightweight kit with the natural fibre materials. 

Front and rear bumper, as well as rear and front hood, 

performed perfectly during the 24h race endurance test in the 

Four Motors’ 718 Cayman GT4 Clubsport. 

In addition, the 718 has been equipped with a sustainable 

interior since September 2021. Together with Porsche, 

the Swiss sustainable lightweighting company Bcomp has 

developed a high-performance natural fibre interior for this 

car. Nine parts were subjected to reverse engineering by 

Bcomp, including the air ducts, consoles, instrument cluster, 

glove compartment, and roof module. All optical components 

have been given a semi-transparent matt finish to match the 

finish of the GT4 CS series rear wing, which also features 

ampliTex and powerRibs from Bcomp. The powerRibs 

reinforcement grid uses the high specific bending stiffness 

of flax to build up height very efficiently, boosting the flexural 

stiffness of thin-walled shell elements significantly (cf. bM 

03/15, 06/17, 04/18, 01/19, 01/21). 

The sustainable flax-fibre composite components also offer 

250 % better vibration damping than carbon fibre, which leads 

to less noise, less vibration, and harshness (NVH) advantages. 

At the end of 2021, Porsche presented the successor to 

the 718 Cayman GT4 Clubsport – the new GT4 RS. While the 

previous 718 Cayman GT4 Clubsport was the first-ever series 

production race car to use body parts made of renewable 

natural-fibre composite material. In the case of the new GT4 RS 

Clubsport, even more extensive use of this material is made in 

the vehicle as a whole. In addition to the doors and the rear wing, 

the bonnet, the wings, the aerodynamic components at the front 

end, and the steering wheel are now made of this material. 

Porsche Cayman GT4 Clubsport 981 

And finally, “the 981 is our rolling test-lab,” as Tom von 

Löwis explained. This car had an accident in 2021 as well. 

In this case, the doors were damaged too. “But the doors 

broke without splintering,” Tom said. “This is a big advantage, 

especially in a race, as there are no sharp-edged splinters on 

the road that could damage the tyres of the following cars.” 


01/2007 

bioplastics MAGAZINE Vol. 5 ISSN 1862-5258 

01 | 2007 

Biodiesel racing car 

made of linseed oil acrylate | 10 

Basics 

Cellulosics | 44 

Highlights: 


Foam | 22 

Bioplastics in 

Automotive Applications | 10 

How much „bio“ is in there? | 15 


01 | 2010 

. is read in 85 countries 

01/201001/2012 

January/February 01 | 2012 

Highlights 


Basics 

Basics of PLA | 54 

Highlights 


Foam | 26 



Porsche 911 GT3 Cup 

(Photo: Four Motors / Gruppe C Photography) 

Porsche 718 Cayman GT4 Clubsport 

(Photo: Four Motors / Gruppe C Photography) 

Basics 

PTT | 44 

Cayman GT4 Clubsport 981 

(Photo: Four Motors / ElfImages Motorsport) 

01/2013 

By Michael Thielen 

January / February 

Cover-Story 

Bioconcept Car | 10 


01 | 2013 

Automotive 

bioplastics MAGAZINE [04/21] Vol. 16 31

Conference Automotive Review 

Porsche 718 GT4 CS Interieur (Photo: Four Motors) 

Biocomposite rear wing and bumper 


Even the wheel rims (RONAL) are made of mostly recycled 

aluminium and manufactured with 100 % green electricity. 

The more durable tyres from Michelin, as well as the 

planned development of low-abrasion and environmentally 

friendly brake pads from PAGID Racing round off the 

sustainable wheels 


In 2011, Michael Thielen took a round through the 

Nürburgring Nordschleife himself in the Volkswagen 

Scirocco Bioconcept-Car (Photo: Hans-Josef Endres) 

Voices 

“On the race track the evidence is shown: A racing car 

with components made of plant fibres and other biogenic 

raw materials is just as powerful as a conventional racing 

car. And what works under high performance and extreme 

conditions is even more reliable in everyday life. This once 

again shows just how much potential the bio-economy 

has to offer. It is all about sustainability and finding 

environmentally-friendly mobility solutions. My goal is to 

ensure that alternative raw materials, i.e. raw materials 

that are not dependent on crude oil, are used to a much 

greater extent in everyday products. In this way, we are 

also making a contribution to climate protection and the 

protection of our resources,” said the former German 

Minister of Agriculture, Julia Klöckner. 

Smudo added: “Bio in automotive engineering is hightech. 

Biotechnologies make the car even more competitive. 

For the first time, we have succeeded in winning an 

automobile manufacturer in Porsche with whom we can 

bring bio-lightweight components into series production.” 

“Given the popularity of race-to-road technology transfer 

– and the similarity between GT4 and road-going sportscars 

– this proves the possibility of volume road applications 

for our technology,” said Christian Fischer, CEO and Co- 

Founder of Bcomp. “We look forward to continuing our work 

with Porsche Motorsport and exploring new possibilities 

and applications for sustainable composites in racing and 

beyond.” 

Eduard Ene, Specialist Interior GT-Road Cars, Porsche 

Motorsport, commented: “We must all ensure that natural 

fibre composites are used more and more in the world of 

automotive components.” 

Kay-Alexander Breitbach, project leader GT racecars, 

adds: “Porsche has proven in the GT4 RS that natural fibrebased 

plastics are competitive and believes in the potential 

of sustainable racing.” 

And finally, Tom von Löwis said: “Thanks to the 

collaboration between the Porsche engineers and the 

natural fibre specialists at Bcomp, the quality of natural 

fibre components has been raised to a new level in recent 

years and beats carbon fibre components particularly in 

terms of the carbon footprint. We are pleased that with the 

bio-interior we can now gradually replace all carbon fibre 

parts in our 718 Cayman GT4 CS with natural-fibre parts.” 

Outlook 

Four Motors and the Bioconcept-Car team are 

enthusiastic about future developments. In 2022 they are 

planning to investigate 100 % biobased composites. “We 

call that B100, or Bio100,” as Tom von Löwis pointed out. 

“We are thinking of combining the natural fibres with 100 

% biobased resins in so-called prepregs.” The second 

approach, while not exactly a bioplastics topic, is no less 

important: “As electromobility is not an issue for us – at 

least not yet – we are looking into more sustainable fuel 

mixtures.” More details, however, could not be disclosed 

so far. So, stay tuned. bioplastics MAGAZINE will continue 

its now 15-year lasting observation of the Bioconcept-Car 

development. 

www.fourmotors.com | www.bcomp.ch 


BOOK 

STORE 

Conference Review 

New 

Edition 

2020 

New 

Edition 

2020 

ORDER 

NOW 

www.bioplasticsmagazine.com/en/books 

email: books@bioplasticsmagazine.com 

phone: +49 2161 6884463 


Automotive 

Car headliner from 

plastic waste and old tyres 

Grupo Antolin, (Burgos, Spain), a global supplier of 

technological solutions for car interiors, presents the 

first headliner substrate produced by thermoforming a 

PU foam with materials made from urban & post-consumer 

plastic waste and end-of-life tyres. Working with recycled 

materials is a natural step in the company’s commitment 

to developing a sustainable business. The aim is to reduce 

waste and energy consumption during manufacturing and 

to meet the demand for eco-friendly interiors, something 

increasingly valued by car buyers’ choices. 

The headliner part looks like a standard headliner and 

performs exactly the same (sustainability surge comes 

without any reduction in the physical properties of the 

headliner). This accomplishment has been possible thanks 

to a material’s manufacturing process developed by the 

partner BASF (using of chemical recycling) that Antolin 

has validated and introduced in a fully electric European 

premium car that has just been launched to the market. 

Approximately 50 % of the headliner weight is recycled. In 

this particular project, 100 % of the textile, 70 % of the core 

foam, and 70 % of the plastic sunroof reinforcement frame 

have been obtained from residues that couldn’t be recycled 

in any other way and would have been, ultimately, disposed 

of in landfills or incinerated. 

“This project is a step towards a more sustainable car 

interior trim and a huge leap for the Wet PU technology. 

A technology that has demonstrated to be the most 

competitive in terms of cost and quality, fulfilling at the 

same time the most demanding specifications from our 

clients,” says Enrique Fernandez, Advanced Engineering 

Director, Overhead Systems BU. 

“We are going one step further by deploying the strategy 

among our clients worldwide. Our next project featuring 

recycled core PU foam will be unveiled in 2022 and it will be 

manufactured using renewable electricity. Our commitment 

is to reduce the generation of waste and emissions in all 

our production processes,” highlights Javier Blanco, Grupo 

Antolin’s Sustainability Director. These types of solutions are 

an example of the company’s technological commitment to 

help its customers to develop more sustainable vehicles by 

reducing waste, weight and emissions. 

This action is part of the Sustainability Master Plan that 

has been designed with the United Nations Sustainable 

Development Goals’ 2030 Agenda as a roadmap. 

Mechanical recycling 

As the leading overhead systems supplier, Grupo Antolin 

focuses on different methods and technologies to recycle 

interior trim parts as part of its objective to make a positive 

contribution to society and reduce carbon footprint. In 

this sense, mechanical recycling is another well-known 

procedure that helps to reintegrate plastic products into 

the production cycle. This is a mature technology that has 

found many applications and it’s well integrated in industrial 

processes. This type of recycling is currently being used 

with thermoplastic structures. With thermoset materials, 

mechanical recycling is not possible in many cases, though. 

Antolin has developed 

technologies that allow to process 

a wider quality range of recycled 

plastic sources that are transformed 

into automotive parts using a 

process called Novaform. On the 

other hand, it has also introduced 

in serial production in Europe a 

method to recycle the thermoset 

run-offs and technical scrap from 

headliners and transform them 

into construction boards. These 

boards are currently being used in 

Europe, Africa, and South America. 

The product, branded Coretech, is 

capable of transforming a composite 

thermoset product (that couldn’t be 

recycled in other ways) into a board 

with outstanding insulation and 

endurance properties. MT 

www.grupoantolin.com 


Download the free 


App! 

Automotive 

Our free Android and iOS App lets you read 

bioplastics MAGAZINE on your mobile device. 

You can easily read bioplastics MAGAZINE not only 

on your smartphone, but on your tablet as well. 

NEW ! Our 15 th anniversary gift to you: 

Read all issues back to 2006 on your mobile device*. 

Try it now! Go to the Google Play Store or 

Apple App-Store search for “bioplasticsmagazine“. 

The QR Code will lead you to the 

respective store automatically. 

You can also check out the 

new ePaper webkiosk at: 

https://epaper.bioplasticsmagazine.com 

*: may become a paid service in future 

Stay in the loop! 

Subscribe 

for free! 

@ 

ogy.de/rubber-newsletter 

Subscribe 

for free! 

@ 

ogy.de/pu-newsletter 

Subscribe 

for free! 

@ 

ogy.de/tpe-newsletter 


Foam 

Mattress recycling now a reality 

Dow Polyurethanes, a business division of Dow (Midland, 

Michigan, USA), and Orrion Chemicals Orgaform 

(Semoy, France) together with Eco-mobilier (Paris, 

France), H&S Anlagentechnik (Sulingen, Germany), and The 

Vita Group (Manchester, UK) have inaugurated a pioneering 

mattress recycling plant as part of the RENUVA program. 

Old mattresses made of polyurethane foam will now be 

recovered, dismantled, and chemically recycled to create 

a new polyol, which is a key starting material to produce 

polyurethane. This Renuva polyol is designed for various 

applications including mattresses. The recent unveiling 

is a major step forward for the recovery and recycling of 

polyurethane foam and a significant advance for closing the 

loop for end-of-life mattresses. At full capacity, the plant 

will process up to 200,000 mattresses per year to tackle the 

growing mattress waste problem. 

“We are immensely proud to have unveiled this plant. 

By doing so we are answering the question of what can be 

done with recycled polyurethane foam. It is part of Dow’s 

strong commitment to delivering solutions that help close 

the loop and protect our environment,” commented Marie 

Buy, Sustainability Leader EMEAI, Dow Polyurethanes, “As 

Renuva now shifts focus to the production phase and the 

first foam made with the new polyol, our Dow Polyurethane 

sustainability journey continues. We are actively exploring 

future possibilities for recycled material and potential 

applications. It is really a new beginning.” 

The Renuva mattress recycling plant is the result of 

strong collaboration between Dow and key players from 

across the mattress lifecycle: chemical innovator Orrion 

Chemicals Orgaform, expert mattress collector Ecomobilier, 

turnkey solutions provider H&S Anlagentechnik, 

and foam manufacturer The Vita Group. 

“This really is a first for our company and for France. 

We have a longstanding commitment to creating more 

sustainable solutions and have long recognized the need 

for the industry to be part of the solution,” commented 

Christian Siest, President, Orrion Chemicals Orgaform, 

“Our plant uses a chemical recycling process in which the 

polyurethane foam is decomposed and converted into a 

novel single product. The great thing about this is versatility; 

we can process foam from any mattress and the Renuva 

polyol recipe itself can be tailored for different applications.” 

“Our ambition is to ensure the quality of the materials 

collected and delivery to Renuva so that we keep to the 

promise of a closed loop”, stated Dominique Mignon, 

President of Eco-mobilier. 

As previously announced, flexible polyurethane foam 

solutions provider, The Vita Group will use the Renuva polyol 

to create its award-winning Orbis flexible foam, providing a 

more sustainable offering to the bedding market. 

“Consumer attitudes have changed significantly, and 

people are becoming a lot more focused on making 

sustainable choices. We have already seen strong interest 

from customers across Europe for Orbis foam and interest 

in the Renuva technology, providing exciting opportunities 

for our product lines,” commented Mark Lewis, Operations 

and Projects Director at The Vita Group. 

Last year in late September, Dow and Renuva partners 

hosted a special virtual event “Closing the Loop for 

Mattresses: A New Beginning with Renuva” to reflect on the 

future of the program and share a closer look at what this 

plant means for the bedding industry (see video link). 

Eco-mobilier is also collaborating with materials 

manufacturer Covestro (Leverkusen, Germany), aspiring 

to generate enhanced value aiming at mattresses and 

upholsteries. Both parties want to further develop waste 

markets for foam used in such applications, to enable its 

use in chemical recycling processes with high efficiency 

at an industrial level. Furthermore, the parties underline 

their commitment through an agreement, which sets out 

a common understanding of strategic goals, projects, and 

activities, forming the basis for a long-term cooperation 

between them. 

Covestro and Eco-mobilier want to keep mattrasses out 

of landfill and minimize incineration, thus reducing their 

environmental impact, and giving the material a new life. 

For this purpose, they want to combine their expertise 

and jointly develop a new solution and a business model 

for the chemical recycling of polyurethane foam from postconsumer 

mattresses and upholsteries. 

Eco-mobilier has extensive experience in the collection, 

logistics and processing of used furniture, such as 

mattresses and upholsteries. This mainly concerns the 

dismantling of used furniture and pre-sorting materials in 

Dismantling of old matresses 

Chemical recycling step 


Foam 

order to obtain pure foam parts as raw materials for 

recycling. A key topic of the collaboration is to further 

develop the decentralized dismantling process of 

mattresses to avoid ecologically unfavourable transport 

of the foam parts to the chemical recycling plant. 

At a later stage, the partners also plan to evaluate 

possibilities and develop a corresponding process 

for recycling upholstered furniture with polyurethane 

foams. 

Brand 

owner 

Retail 

End customer 

End-of-life 

products 

“For ten years, Eco-mobilier has been acting to set 

up and improve a specific scheme for End-of-Life PU 

foam collecting and recycling. The partnership between 

Eco-mobilier and Covestro will allow to increase and 

to diversify the existing solutions for the chemical 

recycling of PU foam and to extend the perspectives 

for a material which had been considered, yet recently, 

as non-recyclable. Especially, by experiencing padded 

furniture recycling with Covestro, Eco-mobilier is 

delighted to start a new stage of development of its 

strategy targeting ´zero landfilling´ for furniture,” said 

Dominique Mignon. 

As part of its new collaboration with Eco-mobilier, 

Covestro intends to make use of a novel process 

compared to other chemical recycling approaches, 

which it has developed for recycling the foam chemically. 

The technology has competitive advantages as it allows 

the recovery of both core raw materials originally used. 

To this end, the company also operates a pilot plant 

for flexible foam recycling at its site in Leverkusen, 

Germany, which is used for test purposes. 

“We are thrilled to complement Eco-mobilier´s 

unique expertise in furniture recycling with our chemical 

recycling technology in this powerful partnership,” says 

Christine Mendoza-Frohn, Executive Vice President & 

Info 

See a video-clip at: 

tinyurl.com/ 

mattress-recycling 

Manufacturing 

SeekTogether 

Recycling 

Collection 

Dismantling 

Collaborating across the value chain 

(Source: www.corporate.dow.com) 

Head of Sales EMLA for Performance Materials at Covestro. 

“The strategic intent of our collaboration is to design and 

validate a joint pilot model to encourage and make real an 

accelerated adoption of recycling and reusing polyurethane 

foams from used furniture in Europe and beyond.” 

Both these collaborations aim at changing part of our 

linear consumer system towards a more circular one, such 

undertakings are difficult to implement as Mila Skokova, 

Sales and Product manager at H&S Anlagentechnik, points 

out, “Renuva has created an echo system that brings together 

all the players in mattress recycling, otherwise it would never 

be possible to implement innovative recycling solutions of this 

magnitude. There are many hurdles to overcome in building 

a new industrial echo system – a changed process can only 

succeed if all players involved pull in the same direction. It 

requires determination to make the shared vision a reality 

– every partner must have the unconditional will to take on 

the role of gamechanger. This way, barriers such as legal 

frameworks or antiquated ways of thinking can be overcome.” 

Hopefully, in the future more key players, not just in the fields 

of mattress recycling and polyurethane, will work together to 

change the system and as Mila astutely states, “this requires 

a shared value system of trust, reliability, and fairness.” AT 

www.dow.com 

www.oc-orgaform.com 

www.eco-mobilier.fr 

www.hs-anlagentechnik.de 

www.thevitagroup.com 

www.covestro.com 

Production of new matresses (all photos from the video (see link) 


Foam 

KANEKA Biodegradable Polymer Green Planet (Expanded beads) 

Kaneka Corporation (Minato-ku, Tokyo, Japan) announced 

last year that they have been developing technology for 

turning KANEKA Biodegradable Polymer Green Planet 

(PHBH) into a foam material. Recently, Kaneka’s new foam 

products were adopted by fishery businesses for fish boxes 

that store fresh fish. 

In search of measures to help solve the issue of marine 

microplastics, the adoption by fishery businesses of Green 

Planet PHBH foam products for fish boxes opens a door to 

a solution that deals directly with ocean pollution, and there 

is growing interest from the fisheries industry. 

Kaneka’s biodegradable polymer Green Planet is a 

100 % plant-derived biodegradable polymer (PHBH) 

developed by integrating fermentation and macromolecule 

technologies. It has excellent biodegradability in a wide 

range of environments and has the unique characteristic 

of biodegrading especially well in seawater. Already almost 

four years ago, the OK Biodegradable MARINE certification 

was issued to Green Planet TÜV AUSTRIA Belgium (then still 

Vinçotte), an international certifying body headquartered in 

Belgium. 

By using Kaneka’s proven expandable plastic technology, 

the company developed the Green Planet Molded Foam 

Products, as a new use of its PHBH resins. It is the result 

of the combination of technologies that Kaneka masters 

particularly well. Kaneka announced to continue developing 

materials for products such as containers for shipping 

perishable foods for the fishing and farming industries, 

fishing industry materials such as floats for culturing, and 

cushions that are made of foam beads and shock-absorbing 

materials for home electrical appliances and furniture. 

Kaneka has declared its alignment with the 

recommendations of the TCFD (Taskforce on Climaterelated 

Financial Disclosures, as established by the 

Financial Stability Board on the request of the G20). 

Here, one particular area the company plans to tackle is 

“Contributing to a Recycling-oriented Society”. Adoption 

of Green Planet is progressing in various fields, including 

straws and cosmetics packages. Kaneka will increasingly 

broaden the usage of Green Planet PHBH as a material that 

helps reduce the impact on the environment and provide 

solutions to environmental issues. MT 

www.kaneka.co.jp/en 

PHBH foam 

products 

KANEKA Biodegradable Polymer 

Green Planet Molded Foam 

products adopted for fish boxes 

Containers for storing and transporting fish boxes 

(Green Planet particle foam products) 


New 3D printing powder 

for food industry 

Materials 

FABULOUS, an expert company in polymeric 3D 

printing materials, brings innovation to a market now 

focused on production. Fabulous is a French company 

from Lyon. Recently they introduced BLUECARE, a mass 

blue PA 11 based material for the powder-based additive 

manufacturing (3D-printing) systems (LS, SLS, HSS, IRS). 

It has been certified for Food Contact Application following 

the European Commission Regulation (EU) No 10/2011 on 

plastic materials and articles intended to come into contact 

with food and alcohol. 

Material requirements of the food industry 

Additive Manufacturing is a production technology growing 

in every market, changing from prototyping applications to 

production. The food industry market (and others) follows 

this trend and Bluecare comes to answer some of its needs: 

1. Safety Blue Plastic Parts are used in different industrial 

areas, as prevention in the food industry, due to their 

visibility and identification in real-time production lines 

(identification of foreign bodies or fragments of plastics in 

food by visual or optical blue detection). 

2. Final machinery parts certified for food contact: parts 

made of plastic materials and in direct contact with food 

must meet strict requirements in regard to the materials 

used, especially when it comes to verifying that the contact 

is not harmful from a physiological point of view. Blue 

Care, through its certifications, meets the requirements 

of international regulations for parts in contact with food. 

Also, with Bluecare, component cleanliness is easier to 

evaluate, as spores, mould, food, or detergent residue are 

clearly visible. 

Environmental benefits of Bluecare material : 

In addition to safety blue colour needed for food line 

production, Blue Care material got two main benefits for 

sustainability : 

More than ten European customers specialized in the 

food industry are now using Bluecare. FDA certification is 

currently in progress for USA/Canada market. 

At https://tinyurl.com/fabulous-3D several videoclips 

about Bluecare can be seen. 

More powder innovations 

Fabulous has become a key player in innovation in the 

industrial 3D printing powders market. At the recent 

Formnext world fair (November 2021, Frankfurt/M., 

Germany) two other materials were introduced: 

• DETECT: Polymer metal composite, with magnetic 

detection functionality and certifications for different 

sectors. 

• RED STOP: the equivalent of Bluecare but mass red, to 

manufacture parts requiring safety visibility. MT 

https://fabulous.com.co/en/ 

Info 

See a video-clip at: 

https://tinyurl.com/ 

fabulous-3D 

• Biosourced polymer, compared to conventional fossilbased 

polymers. 

• Refresh rate is the highest possible for 3d printing 

material: 50 % of the powder reusable 

The first applications of Bluecare : 

Partner customers already started producing parts using 

Blue Care in January 2021: this is the case of the IDPRINT 

3D printing service in Laiz, France: Bluecare powder was 

used to design 30 cm wide modular food conveyor belts. 

A success, according to Patrice Panchot, manager of 

Idprint 3D, who believes that the material is perfectly 

adapted to his needs: “Bluecare is the ideal material for 

additive manufacturing of parts for food conveyors, avoiding 

the manufacture of a mould that is too expensive for the 

number of parts to be made.” 


Processing 

Extrusion lines 

for natural fibre waste 

Sustainability is now a key concept that affects all 

economic sectors, first and foremost construction, 

where attention is increasingly required when 

dealing with innovative and eco-sustainable materials, 

also for interior furnishings. In this respect, Bausano 

(Rivaroio Canavese, Italy) leading international player in 

the design and production of custom extrusion lines for the 

transformation of plastic materials responds to the new 

needs of the sector, enhancing its extrusion lines for plastic 

waste (PVC, PE, or PP) and natural fibres, including wood 

dust and substances of plant origin, such as rice husks, 

coffee grounds, banana peels, seaweed, almond shells, 

avocado kernels, cork, and other plant residues. 

In detail, the market for composites obtained from 

natural fibres is experiencing significant growth thanks to 

the properties that make these materials unique in terms 

of versatility, reliability, and environmental impact. In fact, 

they are 100 % recyclable and can be transformed into a 

new product at low cost. By virtue of their exceptional 

performance characteristics, in terms of high resistance to 

corrosion, atmospheric agents, UV rays, and impermeability, 

they are ideal for cladding, furniture and indoor and outdoor 

flooring, especially decking. Furthermore, thanks to their 

increased lifespan, plant fibre-plastic composite materials 

are also increasingly used in the automotive sector, for 

the internal lining of door panels, dashboards, trunks and 

for the production of particularly light components, which 

contribute reducing the weight of vehicles. 

Bausano’s extrusion technology has been perfected 

to incorporate up to 100 phr of wood or natural fibre. The 

specific counter-rotating twin-screw configuration makes 

it possible to achieve an accurate mixing between melted 

polymer and fibre, passing it through the die without the 

need for a melting pump. Specifically, profiles can be 

directly extruded from the raw material (direct extrusion) 

or the material can be processed starting from the granule 

(indirect extrusion). In direct extrusion, Bausano machines 

ensure the processing of fibres with a moisture content 

of up to 12 % at a speed three times higher with respect 

to other solutions on the market. The granulation lines, 

specifically designed to ensure maximum performance 

at any production speed, also enable the use of recycling 

materials and can be configured with premixing or 

gravimetric dosing systems upstream. The granules 

obtained can thus be transformed into a finished product 

either through injection moulding or extrusion, with twin 

or single screw. Lastly, the lines are distinguished by the 

high degree of customisation, the wide range of modular 

accessories and a special coating, on request, which 

extends the useful lifespan of screws and cylinders up to 

25,000 hours, before replacement is required. 

Clemente Bausano, Vice President of the Company states 

“The plant fibre-plastic composite materials are a valid 

alternative in construction and architecture. In fact, they 

are part of a circular economy perspective: for example, the 

wood used is usually a product of waste from the furniture 

industry that is recycled to be extruded again, thus reducing 

deforestation”, and continues “Europe is currently the thirdlargest 

market in the world for wood-plastic composites 

and I believe that EU policies for the environment and 

climate provide significant opportunities for the growth of 

the sector, in particular through the “Renovation Wave” 

strategy, an integral part of the Green Deal promoted by 

Brussels.” And he concludes: “For Bausano, enhancing this 

range of extruders is part of a broader programme, aimed at 

pursuing the sustainable development goals drafted in the 

United Nations 2030 Agenda. A path that sees us engaged 

on three levels: social, environmental, and economic, acting 

as the spokespeople for a virtuous change that also involves 

our customers.” 

Bausano also offers counter-rotating twin-screw 

extrusion lined specially dedicated to the processing of 

biodegradable polymers such as PVA. Bausano meets the 

special requirements of such polymers thanks to its special 

extrusion lines, of the MD Nextmover product family, for the 

production of water-soluble bioplastic granules, which are 

ideal for subsequent blown film extrusion. There are some 

special aspects to be taken into consideration, including the 

length of the barrel, which must allow the material to pass 

through for the time strictly necessary. In fact, if it remains 

there for too long, it will be subject to excessive stress. 

The second aspect is temperature, as processing takes 

place at much higher temperatures than with PVC, for 

example. In addition, in order to obtain a granule without 

impurities, the gel point must be determined with absolute 

accuracy. bioplastics MAGAZINE will report about this in more 

detail in one of the future issues. MT 

www.bausano.com 


PLA crystallization and drying 

Now possible in just minutes instead of hours 

Processing 

A 

particular challenge in processing PLA is 

crystallization and drying. Because PLA is a 

hygroscopic thermoplastic, it readily absorbs 

moisture from the atmosphere. The presence of even small 

amounts of moisture hydrolyzes the biopolymer in the melt 

phase and reduces the molecular weight. As a result, the 

mechanical properties of PLA decrease and the quality of 

the final product is compromised. Therefore, PLA must be 

thoroughly dried directly before melt-processing. In many 

cases, recycled polymers must also be crystallized before 

drying. 

With its infrared rotary drum (IRD), KREYENBORG (Senden, 

Germany) offers a fast, energy-saving and product-friendly 

solution. Feed material is first introduced into the rotary 

drum by a volumetric dosing system. High-level heat is then 

quickly and directly introduced into the core of the material 

by means of infrared light. With its special wavelength, the 

infrared light penetrates the granules, thus the introduced 

energy heats the material from the inside and drives the 

moisture out through heat flow from the inside out. The air, 

laden with moisture, is discharged by a constant flow of 

air from within the drum. The air itself is not heated by the 

infrared light, just by the heat coming from the granules. 

This makes the process even more energy efficient. 

A continuously moving spiral welded into the rotary 

drum ensures a homogeneous mass-flow with a defined 

residence time (first-in/first-out principle) (see picture). 

The mixing elements integrated in the spirals, as well 

as the rotation, ensure continuous mixing of the feed 

material. In the process, the material at the surface is 

constantly exchanged. These continuous rotary movements 

prevent the product from blocking and clumping. With 

these advantages, drying times of only 15 minutes can be 

achieved. 

In conventional hot-air dryers, the previously crystallized 

PLA can be dried at only 65–90 °C (150-190 °F) using 

dehumidified air. Here, higher drying temperatures could 

lead to softening and blocking of the polymer in the dryer. 

Typically, this results in drying times of between 2 and 

8 hours, while lower drying temperatures result in even 

longer drying times. The energy input necessary for these 

conventional processes is sometimes considerable. 

Generally, PLA must be dried to a moisture level of < 250 

ppm and maintained at this level to minimize hydrolysis 

during melt processing. Achieving and maintaining these 

kinds of levels is not optional, but is an absolute necessity, 

and is feasible using Kreyenborg’s infrared rotary drum. A 

dry granule helps control relative viscosity (RV) loss, which 

should be less than 0.1. Controlling RV loss is critical to 

maintaining impact resistance, melt-viscosity, and other 

important properties of the feedstock. 

Kreyenborg invites customers who want to see the 

performance of the machinery in action to participate in 

pilot plant trials, which now can even be conducted online. 

MT 

https://www.kreyenborg.com 

Kreyenborg crystallisation and drying principle 

1 

Feeding+material flow+temperature scheme 

1 Dosing hopper 

2 

2 

Drum with weldedhelix 

3 

3 

Infraredmodule 

4 

4 

Temperature measurement 

9 

Material outlet 

9 


Opinion 

The new JRC’s 

“Plastics LCA method” 

already needs an update 

Constance Ißbrücker, Head of Environmental Affairs at European Bioplastics e.V. 

Erwin Vink, Sr. Sustainability Manager, NatureWorks LLC 

Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) is basically the only tool 

we currently have for making comparisons between 

products from an environmental point of view. The 

development of LCA tools started more than 30 years ago 

but it seems that they are still far from perfect. In that time, 

a wide range of different LCA methods and databases have 

been created, all competing with each other. Do we really 

need them all? Maybe we should have one globally accepted 

methodology and database, but that probably will never 

happen. Another serious shortcoming is that several very 

critical environmental problems, like loss of biodiversity 

and plastic pollution of our soil and oceans, are still not 

incorporated in LCAs because the assessment methods 

are not available yet. This means that LCAs still only 

incorporate a part of the total environmental impact. For 

some environmental impacts, such as climate change, one 

would expect that the LCA tool would work very well, but 

also here we see many different calculation procedures and 

‘incomparable’ data sets. So, even for this most basic global 

environmental impact, the tool comes with challenges. The 

LCA community still has some significant challenges for 

the years to come. So, at this point, it remains important to 

be always very cautious and critical in judging LCAs and the 

methodologies behind them. 

In the EU Plastics Strategy, a vision was presented where 

innovative materials and alternative feedstocks would 

ultimately replace fossil resources. In this context, and 

with the knowledge about the shortcomings of available 

LCA methods, the Joint Research Centre (JRC) was tasked 

in 2018 by the European Commission to develop a new 

LCA methodology to evaluate the potential environmental 

impacts of plastic products from different feedstocks. This 

resulted in July 2021, in the publication of a 308-page LCA 

methodology study called: ‘LCA of alternative feedstocks for 

plastic products’ Part 1: the Plastics LCA methodology [1]. 

(In Part 2, ten LCA case studies will be published based on 

this methodology.) 

Over those three years, European Bioplastics (EUBP) 

had had personal meetings with the JRC experts and 

additionally provided numerous reports, reviews, and 

comments. A significant amount of time was invested in 

this effort for many reasons, one of them being that this 

LCA methodology could become the basis to create policies 

around biobased and biodegradable polymer products. 


However, the resulting JRC “Plastics LCA method”, turned 

out to be highly problematic and rather biased, making it 

impossible to carry out complete and well-balanced LCA 

comparisons between biobased and fossil-based plastics. 

In its current form, the method strengthens the current 

dominance of fossil-based plastics and often just neglects 

the negative impacts of the extraction of fossil resources 

on climate and environment. This is grossly at odds with 

the EU’s commitment towards reducing the dependency 

on fossil-carbon and becoming climate neutral. The 

methodology also undermines many of the targets set out 

in the EU Green Deal and Plastics Strategy. It is therefore 

also not in line with the latest IPCC report saying we need 

to stop using fossil resources. 

However, the whole issue is not only about bioplastics. 

European Bioplastics drafted a two-page Position Paper [2] 

N.N.: EUBA position on the JRC LCA Methodology and got 

the support of other European Biobased Industry Groups, 

organized in the European Bioeconomy Alliance (EUBA). 

This is important support since this is not only touching the 

bioplastics industry but the whole EU bioeconomy industry. 

Therefore, EUBP, together with the other members of the 

European Bioeconomy Alliance, have recently called upon 

the Commission not to make use of the methodology until it 

has been re-opened and significantly revised and improved. 

Herewith a summary of our findings to illustrate 

the significant asymmetry and shortcomings of the 

methodology. 

Biogenic carbon sequestration 

The methodology ignores the key advantage of biobased 

products, which is the uptake of carbon dioxide from 

the atmosphere, sequestering it into products, and so 

preventing that carbon dioxide from contributing to climate 

change. This is a key advantage over fossil-based plastics. 

Biobased products replace fossil carbon in plastics and 

reduce the emissions of greenhouse gases. This fact should 

be accounted for by being a mandatory part of a fair and 

balanced assessment of environmental impacts. As an 

example, the EU standard EN 16760 (“Biobased products – 

Life cycle assessment”) provides guidance on how biogenic 

carbon uptake should be accounted for in the assessment of 

biobased plastics, but this calculation remains a voluntary, 

meaningless option in the suggested methodology. 

Comparing mature and immature production 

systems 

For fossil-based plastics, the raw material extraction, 

production, conversion, logistics, and end-of-life options 

have been optimized for the last 50–70 years, while 

many biobased plastics are still in their early stage of 

development. They are at the beginning of their maturity or 

optimization curve. 

The LCA methodology provides no real answer on how to 

compare systems that have different levels of maturity. In a 

meaningful assessment (LCA should inform about decisions 

that shape the future) of biobased plastics, this potential 

for further improvements should be incorporated. By not 

acknowledging these differences, the LCA methodology 

mainly supports the status-quo and ignores the potential of 

innovation. That clearly can’t be the goal. 

Data reporting requirements 

In an area where the report really goes wrong are the 

requirements on data reporting (this is the basic data that 

goes into the life cycle inventory). It is not demanding for 

the same requirements for data sets for biobased and 

fossil-based feedstocks. For biobased production systems, 

detailed company-specific data are required, while for 

fossil-based systems, the industry average (black boxes) 

data sets are still acceptable. It is still allowed to just exclude 

emissions coming from accidents, spills, and oil fires. After 

30 years of performing LCA studies, these practices need 

to be stopped. For biobased plastics products, all kind 

sof details are requested, which as such is totally correct, 

about agricultural emissions, machinery use, heavy metals, 

chemical use, resource types, production locations and 

water consumption, while there is no or hardly any attention 

paid to similar aspects for the fossil-based alternatives. 

Incorporation of Land Use Change (LUC) 

For biobased plastics, LUC shall be included, while for 

fossil-based plastics, the methodology is much less strict. 

This is not correct, including aspects should be consistent 

for all types of materials. Even if the contributions seem 

to be relatively small (which is often used as an excuse for 

ignoring it), they should be included to increase awareness 

and the fact that several relatively small contributions 

can lead to a significant contribution. Further, continuous 

improvement of agricultural practices, such as soil carbon 

uptake by improved management, needs to be taken up in 

the LCA calculations, instead of being parked at the side-line 

under the header: ‘additional environmental information.’ 

Inconsistent inclusion of indirect effects 

Negative indirect effects for biobased plastics, such as 

Indirect Land Use Change(iLUC), are considered relevant 

and recommended to be included, while the inclusion of 

negative indirect effects of fossil-based plastics is explicitly 

ruled out. A big omission is the lack of methodology to 

include the direct and indirect effects of the leakage of 

persistent plastics into our environment. On the other 

hand, great importance is given in the LCA methodology 

to the scientifically controversial issue of Indirect Land 

Use Change (iLUC). It’s based on mere model calculations 

that vary greatly due to the lack of standardized methods 

– interestingly, unlike the calculation methods for biogenic 

carbon uptake. Despite of the uncertainty, the assessment 

of iLUC is considered important and mandatory in the LCA 

methodology. Further iLUC contributions are often included 

while no proof has been provided if it also takes place. 

Requirements for providing proof 

Also, with this aspect, the methodology is not consistent. 

For positive indirect effects of biobased plastic products, 

such as soil carbon storage by improved agricultural 

management, proof is required, while no proof is required 

for negative indirect effects of biobased materials, like iLUC. 

Biodiversity impacts 

In the JRC LCA method, the topic of biodiversity is 

strongly linked to the agricultural production process of 

biobased products. For fossil-based products, there is 

much less attention for this topic, while there is a direct, 

Opinion 


Opinion 

clear link via climate change between the emissions of 

fossil carbon and the effects on biodiversity. The main 

reasons for the decrease in biodiversity are overpopulation, 

global warming, deforestation, and pollution. And according 

to the latest IPCC report, Global warming is largely driven 

by emissions from fossil resources (including incineration 

of fossil plastics) and agriculture (dominated by livestock). 

Reflecting end-of-life realities 

All recycling options, including organic recycling, need 

to be treated equally and correctly represent existing and 

potential future waste infrastructure. To capture the real 

value of industrial composting in comparison to other EOL 

options, the LCA should be performed on waste stream 

level, rather than on product level. 

Normalization and weighting 

In the JRC LCA method, weighting is a mandatory step. 

As such this is already a debatable step since a lot of 

information is condensed (and lost) into one number and 

the number is also excluding all information that should 

be reported under ‘additional environmental information,’ 

as suggested many times in the report. Setting weighting 

factors can be a subjective process. The suggested factors 

are from 2018, which makes it unclear how representative 

they are for current reality and the years to come. Finally, it is 

always unclear how EU weighting factors can be applied for 

non-EU production systems. The set up of such significant 

factors might need a regular revision by a dedicated team 

of experts. 

Feedstock supply data requirements 

For biobased plastics, feedstock certification schemes 

like RSB, ISCC PLUS, and Bonsucro are developed and 

in use. They deal with a wide range of topics such as 

biodiversity, emission reductions, carbon sequestration, 

and exposure to harmful substances. Nothing similar is in 

place for fossil-based feedstock. This aspect is completely 

excluded from a methodology comparing and judging the 

life cycles of biobased and fossil-based systems, of which 

feedstock production is one of the most important steps, if 

not the most important one. 

Some final considerations 

EUBP and EUBA consider the LCA methodology, as 

presented by the JRC, not fit for the purpose of comparing 

biobased with conventional fossil-based plastics. The 

Commission should stop the wider dissemination or 

application of this methodology and start a new review. 

Otherwise, it will adversely affect EU progress in the field of 

sustainable and renewable climate-neutral materials. 

It is disappointing to see how unfit for purpose the final 

LCA methodology turned out to be after three years of 

extensive discourse and contributions of scientific expertise 

by the biobased industries and related experts. There is 

a choice whether we want to continue with business as 

usual or whether we are serious about a transition to a 

fossil-independent, biobased circular economy. Of course, 

it would be desirable for the EU Commission to consider 

reopening the JRC study in order to make the necessary 

adaptations to replace fossil carbon in plastics. LCAs are 

seen as an important and popular method to assess the 

sustainability of products. But are they, really? In the light 

of the JRC method’s shortcomings, we might need to start 

a discussion on whether LCAs, as currently conducted, 

really are the best tool to properly assess the benefits and 

impacts of a biobased circular economy. 

Finally, plastics are essential to modern life. There is a 

choice to make as to whether humanity continues to obtain 

the required carbon for plastics from underground deposits 

of oil and gas, or whether a transition towards obtaining this 

necessary carbon from the atmosphere is not just desirable 

but essential. But, unfortunately, the JRC study is again 

a mere comparative life cycle assessment between fossil 

and biobased products, affected by the above-mentioned 

weaknesses and without a vision for the future, since the 

pivotal role of bioplastics in building a renewable carbonbased 

economy is, de facto, ignored. 

[1] Nessi, S. et.al.: LCA of alternative feedstocks for plastic products’ Part 

1: the Plastics LCA methodology; https://publications.jrc.ec.europa.eu/ 

repository/bitstream/JRC125046/plastics_lca__method_final_online.pdf 

[2] N.N.: EUBA position on the JRC LCA Methodology; https://docs. 

european-ioplastics.org/publications/EUBA_Position_on_JRC_LCA_ 

Methodology.pdf 

www.european-bioplastics.org | www.natureworksllc.com 

Info 

For a more in-depth analysis of the JRC LCA 

methodology, please view the presentation by 

Erwin Vink, NatureWorks: “A review of the JRC 

report on LCA of alternative feedstocks for plastics 

production”, held at the recent 16 th European 

Bioplastics Conference 2021 in Berlin 

See a video-clip at: https://tinyurl.com/EUBP-Vink 


Celebrating 85 years of 

twist wrapping! 

Applications 

A lifetime of wrapping sweets, with an end of life 

to help the future 

End of last year, Futamura (Wigton, Cumbria, UK) 

celebrated a significant milestone in the history of its 

packaging films: 85 years of twist wrapping individual 

sweets. The company’s Cellophane films were used 

for the first automated twist wrap machines. In the early 

days, they were often referred to as a ‘transparent paper’ 

as they were made from renewable wood pulp. Over the 

years, the films became synonymous with confectionery 

wraps, being established as the packaging of choice thanks 

to their excellent technical performance on the packaging 

machinery and aesthetic appeal. 

With its inherent dead-fold properties, Cellophane was 

the ideal choice for twist wrapping: the films ran extremely 

well on packaging machines, static-free, wrapping at high 

speeds with an incredibly low level of miswraps. They also 

held their twist naturally, without the need for heat sealing 

or adhesives. This meant that the wraps could be easily 

opened, even by younger consumers – a must when you 

wrap sweets! 

In the last 20 years, acknowledging the growing demand 

for environmentally responsible packaging, Futamura 

launched NatureFlex films. This new generation of films 

is the natural evolution of the original Cellophane: the 

technical performance of Cellophane, renewable raw 

materials sourced from sustainably managed plantations 

and the additional benefit of more sustainable end-of-life 

options. NatureFlex is certified for home composting by 

TUV Home compost and meets European and international 

norms for industrial composting including EN13432 and 

ASTM D6400. 

Compostability, the solution to the small format 

flexible issue 

Whilst we have all seen companies and authorities 

making statements and committing to the path of 

mechanical recycling, it is becoming increasingly apparent 

that recycling will not be the solution for all applications. 

The study ‘Breaking the plastic wave’ made it very clear that 

there is no silver bullet: the industry must use all options 

available to resolve the current packaging end of life issues. 

Today, brands and waste management operators are 

acknowledging that small format flexibles will be extremely 

difficult to handle and recycle. Small format, traditional 

twist wraps fall into this category: small by definition and 

often scrunched up or torn, rendering them even smaller. 

In this specific application, using a compostable film such 

as NatureFlex enables a positive end of life: consumers can 

simply place it in a home compost bin and the film will break 

down within 6 to 8 weeks. As facilities develop, industrial 

composting will also become an option, and this is certainly 

already happening in some European countries such as Italy 

and Ireland. Both options – home and industrial composting 

– enable the production of soil-enriching compost. Finally, 

in the unfortunate event that sweet wrappers were littered 

(not something Futamura would ever condone), then 

NatureFlex wrappers would certainly break down, with 

a lower environmental impact than ones produced with 

conventional plastics. 

According to Futamura Sales & Marketing Director, 

Andy Sweetman; “the combination of exceptional wrapping 

performance coupled with an enhanced end of life solution 

make NatureFlex the logical choice in small format flexible 

applications such as twist wrap.” 

High-performance packaging 

When it comes to twist wrapping, NatureFlex films offer 

a renewable and compostable alternative. They are most 

effective on packing machinery. SACMI Chocolate Spa., 

a machine manufacturer that began in 1907, under the 

earlier name of Carle & Montanari, has been producing 

wrapping machines for sweets since 1957, regularly runs 

NatureFlex on their machines. Valentina Bergami from 

SACMI Chocolate Spa. sales and marketing department 

said: “NatureFlex is a very reliable material, with all the 

features a material needs to have when running on a 

wrapping machine: elasticity to withstand the traction in 

the unwinding process, where the film is unwound from its 

reel and fed to the wrapping area. Rigidity, so the film can 

be pushed through the feeding unit of our wrappers where it 

is cut to length right on top of the product. And last, but not 

least: elasticity to be twisted and memory effect so that the 

twists are held and don’t re-open.” 

Valentina Bergami added: “We have tested various 

versions of NatureFlex with various looks, transparent or 

metallised, and the material passed with very good results 

through our trials. This is why we actively recommend it 

to our clients seeking for new eco-friendly alternatives to 

plastics.” 

NatureFlex films are used to wrap many different brands 

of sweets, from your family’s favourite colourful chocolates 

to niche vegan brands. MT 

https://www.natureflex.com 


Application News 

Eco-consciousness 

comes to yoga mats 

Yoloha (Charleston, South Caroline, USA) is a company 

that sets out to make things better. In their pursuit of 

quality yoga mats made from high levels of renewable 

materials, they chose to work with HEXPOL TPE. 

Seven years ago, Yoloha Founder Chris Willey sat 

down in his garage, thought outside the box and made 

a yoga mat out of the most sustainable materials he had 

on hand. By combining cork with recycled rubber, Chris 

created the world’s first cork yoga mat. 

The mat was more than just an eco-friendly alternative 

to the traditional yoga mat. It was naturally high 

performing with impeccable grip and antimicrobial 

properties. It was then and there that Yoloha Yoga was 

born with the mission of bringing sustainable movement 

to people all around the world. 

To support Yoloha’s sustainability goals, Hexpol TPE 

developed a customised material from the Dryflex Green 

family of biobased thermoplastic elastomers (TPE). The 

TPE has 55 % biobased content. It has a high melt strength 

and drawability to easily produce foamed materials with 

a uniform foam structure. Foaming brings lightweight 

advantages and cushioning in applications such as mats, 

protective clothing, and seating. 

“I have worked with and tested most foams on the 

market from Natural rubber, EVA, PU, etc., and I have 

found TPE foam to be the perfect blend of support, 

durability, and weight,” said Yoloha founder Chris Willey. 

“With that in mind, I discovered Hexpol TPE with their 

focus on sustainability. We quickly developed a great 

relationship and worked together to develop a customised 

material.” 

The Dryflex Green family of biobased TPEs contain 

raw materials from renewable resources, including 

by-products from agriculture rich in carbohydrates, 

especially saccharides such as grain, sugar beet, or 

sugar cane. TPEs are available with amounts of biobased 

content to over 90 % (ASTM D 6866) with hardnesses from 

15 Shore A to 60 Shore D. 

Kathrin Heilmann, technical sales for sustainable 

TPE at Hexpol TPE GmbH added, “We’re proud to work 

with Yoloha on this project. We aimed to achieve a high 

biobased content while keeping mechanical performance 

and processability. The material shows a good foamability 

for mats and other extruded products.” MT 

www.hexpolTPE.com 

| www.yolohayoga.com 

Industrial compostable 

stretch film 

Cortec Corporation (St. Paul, Minnesota, USA) just 

received OK compost INDUSTRIAL certification of its Eco 

Wrap ® stretch film from TÜV Austria. 

Eco Wrap is the world’s first compostable industrialstrength 

machine grade stretch film launched by the 

company earlier last year. Considering Cortec’s longtime 

focus on compostable films and green packaging materials, 

this is a huge step forward. Eco Wrap users can benefit from 

material/waste reduction in many ways. Most applications 

requiring three wraps of standard film can use two wraps of 

Eco Wrap without sacrificing strength or protection. 

This green packaging solution may allow its users to 

avoid tariffs, fines, and tip fees in areas where polyethylene 

is prohibited or restricted. Eco Wrap is shelf and curb 

stable and will retain its integrity until disposed of properly. 

The latest formula of compostable Eco-Wrap uses a 

tackifier additive to make an industrial-strength stretch 

wrap that can be used on most standard automated stretch 

wrap equipment. This is a breakthrough for the industrial 

packaging and warehousing industries which rely heavily 

on automated stretch wrapping to prepare pallets of goods 

for storage, inventory, or shipment. 

Eco Wrap can be used in numerous applications where 

conventional stretch film is needed, such as: 

• Agriculture bundling (e.g., hay bales and lumber) 

• Corralling of goods for storage and shipment 

• Pallet wrapping 

• Luggage wrapping at airports 

• Packaging construction materials 

• Transporting furniture 

Eco Wrap is extremely elastic and works on most existing 

automated machines. The film is easily applied by adjusting 

the tension. By opting for Eco Wrap, users can improve 

their environmental image while getting the necessary 

packaging job done. MT 

www.ecocortec.hr/eng 


Suntory introduces 

100 % plant-based PET bottle prototypes 

Suntory Group, Tokyo, Japan, announced in early December that, as a crucial step toward its aim to use 100 % sustainable 

PET bottles globally by 2030 and eliminate all petroleum-based virgin plastic from its global PET supply, the company has 

successfully created a prototype PET bottle made from 100 % plant-based materials. The prototype has been produced for 

the company’s iconic Orangina brand in Europe along with its best-selling bottled mineral water brand in Japan, Suntory 

Tennensui. This announcement marks a breakthrough after a nearly decade-long partnership with the US-based sustainable 

technology company Anellotech. 

PET is produced using two raw materials, 70 % terephthalic acid (PTA) and 30 % mono ethylene glycol (MEG). Suntory’s 

prototype plant-based bottle is made by combining Anellotech’s new technology, a plant-based paraxylene derived from wood 

chips, which has been converted to plant-based PTA, and pre-existing plant-based MEG made from molasses which Suntory 

has been using in its Suntory Tennensui brand in Japan since 2013. 

“The competitive advantage of Anellotech’s Bio-TCat generated paraxylene is its 

process efficiency (it uses a single-step thermal catalytic process by going directly 

from biomass to aromatics (benzene, toluene, and xylene)), as well as the opportunity 

it creates for a significant reduction in greenhouse gas emissions as compared to its 

identical fossil-derived paraxylene in the manufacture of PET, especially as it generates 

required process energy from the biomass feedstock itself,” said David Sudolsky, 

President and CEO of Anellotech. 

This technology is one of the latest investments from Suntory in the company’s long 

history of addressing the social and environmental impacts of containers and packaging. 

In 1997, Suntory established its “Guidelines for the Environmental Design of Containers 

and Packaging.” For plastic bottles specifically, it has used its 2R+B (Reduce/Recycle + 

Bio) strategy to reduce the weight of containers, including labels and caps, and actively 

introduce recycled or plant-based materials in its plastic bottles used globally. Most 

significantly, it has created the lightest bottle cap, the thinnest bottle label, and the 

lightest PET bottle produced in Japan to date. MT 

www.suntory.com | www.anellotech.com 


Sneakers made from fruit waste 

Since the textile industry is the second most polluting in the world and intensive farming is a plague for the planet, Italian 

sneaker brand ID.EIGHT now launched (first introduced via Kickstarter in 2020) sneakers made from the by-products of the 

food industry. The company primarily use four materials drive from apples, grapes, seeds, and pineapples to manufacture the 

upper part of the shoe. 

Apple skin: In recent years, the amount of agro-food waste used to make sustainable products has increased from 0 to over 

30 tonnes per month. A great resource is, for example, the cartamela (apple paper from dried, crushed, and pressed apple 

peels)used for handkerchiefs and kitchen rolls, ID.EIGHT uses this material as a component to create the upper part of the 

sneakers. 

Pinatex, made with the waste leaves of pineapple growing in the 

Philippines is also used as a component. The pineapple industry 

produces about 40,000 tonnes of leaves every year, and since they are 

considered a waste material, they are usually left to rot or burned. 

Today it is possible to recover them to create a bio-material. With 480 

leaves (16 pineapple plants) you can get 1 square meter of material. 

The third component is Vegea, a material derived from the biopolymerization 

of grape pomace in Italy. Over 7 million tonnes of 

grape pomace are discarded every year by the wine industry. Thus, 

grape scrapings, skins, and seeds (part of the pomace), are used in 

the form of a durable, flexible material. 

The upper sole, laces, and label are made from different recycled 

materials. MT 

www.id-eight.com 



Scotch & Soda partners with Tipa 

Scotch & Soda (Amsterdam, The Netherlands) is a fashion 

brand that champions individuality, authenticity, and the power 

of self-expression. Addressing sustainability is also at the core 

of the brand’s approach, and begins, for them, with a focus on 

materials. 

In December 2021, Scotch & Soda announced 

their partnership with TIPA (Hod HaSharon, 

Merkaz, Israel), and in 2022, a minimum of one 

million of Scotch & Soda’s garments will be 

packed in TIPA ® bioplastic bags. For the Spring 

and Summer 2022 collections, Tipa bags will 

represent 21 % of the total product packaging 

and will be used for high volume items, such 

as T-shirts, jeans, sweatshirts, sweaters and 

shirts, throughout menswear, womenswear, and 

kidswear. 

Polybags made of polyethylene (PE) are a 

low-volume flexible film commonly used in the 

fashion industry, and were previously the best 

option for product packaging. However, on average, 24 % of 

global non-fibre plastic consumption is incinerated while 58 % 

ends up in landfill and natural ecosystems, taking hundreds of 

years to break down. 

Photo Scotch & Soda 

When Scotch & Soda looked towards alternatives, 

they found there are now innovative materials like 

Tipa bags that offer the same level of protection 

but are less reliant on fossil fuels return to earth as 

nutrient-rich soil at their end-of-life, as opposed to 

landfill and incineration. 

The integration of Tipa bags is part of Scotch 

& Soda’s sustainability mission to contribute to 

environmental protection. Through its partnership 

with Tipa, Scotch & Soda hopes to inspire customers 

to start composting and raise awareness about 

the environmental impact of both the production 

and end-of-life of conventional packaging. The 

brand aims to step away from conventional plastic 

polybags for all product categories by 2025. MT 

www.tipa-corp.com | www.scotch-soda.com 

Pepsico Europe to eliminate 

fossil-based plastic in crisp and chip bags 

Following the introduction of PepsiCo Positive, the company’s strategic end-to-end transformation with sustainability at the 

centre, PepsiCo Europe (Geneva, Switzerland) recently announced that by 2030, it plans to eliminate virgin fossil-based plastic 

in all its crisp and chip bags. This ambition will apply to brands including Walkers, Doritos, and Lay’s and will be delivered by 

using 100 % recycled or renewable plastic in its packets. 

Consumer trials of the packaging will begin in European markets in 2022, starting with renewable plastic in a Lay’s range 

in France in the first half of the year. Later in the year, a range from the Walkers brand in the UK will trial recycled content. 

The recycled content in the packs will be derived from previously used plastic and the renewable content will come from byproducts 

of plants such as used cooking oil or waste from paper pulp. PepsiCo estimates it may achieve up to 40 % greenhouse 

gas emissions reduction per tonne of packaging material by switching to virgin fossil-free material. 

Silviu Popovici, Chief Executive Officer, PepsiCo Europe commented: “Flexible packaging recycling should be the norm 

across Europe. We see a future where our bags will be free of virgin fossil-based plastic. They will be part of a thriving circular 

economy where flexible packaging is valued and can be recycled as a new packet. We’re investing with our partners to build the 

technological capacity to do that. We now need 

an appropriate regulatory landscape in place 

so that packaging never becomes waste.” 

“Through collaboration and innovation, we 

can progress to a viable circular economy for 

our food packaging in Europe,” shared Archana 

Jagannathan, Senior Director, Sustainable 

Packaging, PepsiCo Europe. “Today, the 

supply of recycled and renewable materials for 

flexibles is limited. The regulatory environment 

is very dynamic and we need more clarity on 

policy and recognised technologies. If a policy 

and waste infrastructure, similar to beverage 

bottle packaging, accelerates for flexibles, we 

will speed up our plans and go even faster to 

meet our commitments.” MT 

www.pepsico.com 


Recycled ocean plastic 

for Ford Bronco 

In early December 

DSM Engineering 

Materials (Emmen, 

The Netherlands) 

announced that Ford 

Motor Company, HellermannTyton, 

and 

DSM earned an Innovation 

Award from 

the Society of Plastics 

Engineers (SPE) 

for the use of Akulon ® RePurposed recycled ocean plastic in 

the Ford Bronco Sport. This application was also recognized 

by Ford as the first of many potential uses for recycled ocean 

plastics in a major vehicle platform. 

Ford uses wiring harness clips made of ocean-harvested 

plastic ghost gear in Bronco Sport models. Invisible to vehicle 

occupants, the wiring harness clips fasten to the sides of the 

Bronco Sport second-row seats and guide wires that power 

various features in the vehicle’s cargo area. Ford testing 

shows that the Akulon RePurposed material, despite having 

spent time in saltwater and sunlight, is as strong and durable 

as petroleum-based clips. MT 

www.dsm.com/akulonrepurposed 

PLA water bottle 

UK based online retailer DrinkWell has spent the last 12 

months developing the UK’s first biodegradable on-the-go 

water bottle. 

The Eco Bottle was launched in mid-January and is made 

from PLA, derived from corn starch. “The great tasting water 

comes from a natural spring in Hereford, United Kingdom,” 

as Tom Bell, founder and Managing Director of DrinkWell 

told bioplastics MAGAZINE. 

The new biobased packaging requires 50 % less fossil 

fuel for production, compared with fossil-based PET plastic 

bottles, and releases 60 % fewer carbon emissions. 

The bottle can be fully recycled, will completely compost 

within 3–6 months or if incinerated in general waste will 

burn completely toxic-free. 

DrinkWell is wholesaling the 

water directly to the on-trade, 

off-trade, and cash & carry 

market. It will also be working 

with gyms and leisure facilities. 

Despite a slightly higher 

price, consumers were “willing 

to pay more for a product that 

is going to be better for the 

planet,” Tom explained. MT 

www.drinkwelluk.com 


10-12 May – Cologne, Germany 

The Answer to Your Hunt for Renewable Materials 

The unique concept of presenting all renewable material solutions at 

one event hits the mark: bio-based, CO2-based and recycled are the only 

alternatives to fossil-based chemicals and materials. 

ORGANISED BY 

NOVA-INSTITUTE 

RENEWABLE 

MATERIAL 

OF THE 

YEAR 2022 

First day: 

• Chemical Industry: 

Challenges and Strategies 

• Renewable Chemicals 

and Building Blocks 

• Biorefineries 

• Chemical Recycling 

Second day: 

• Renewable Polymers 

and Plastics 

• Fine Chemicals 

• Policy and Markets 

• Innovation Award 

Third day: 

• Renewable Plastics 

and Composites 

• Biodegradation 

• The Brands View on 

Renewable Materials 

1 

INNOVATION AWARD 

Call for Innovation 

Submit your Application 

for the “Renewable 

Material of the Year 

2022” 

Organiser 

Premium 

Partner 


Sponsor 

Sponsors 

renewable-materials.eu 


Basics 

Biodegradation: 

One concept, many nuances 

Over the course of the 20 th century, we have become 

adapted to plastics and production and consumption 

have skyrocketed these past decades. Plastics have 

many different properties, are lightweight, can easily be 

formed into any shape and most importantly are extremely 

durable. Nowadays, it is almost impossible to imagine a 

world without plastics. As a small thought experiment, it is 

interesting to imagine your room without plastics. 

However, it has become clear that the durability of plastics 

is also the biggest disadvantage. Unmanaged disposal of 

plastic waste in the environment results in visual pollution 

nowadays appearing in the news daily. As a consequence 

of this pollution, the (micro)plastic accumulation in nature 

over time increases. 

Over the last few decades, this growing concern about 

plastics has encouraged governments and international 

governing bodies to implement legislation and directives 

with specific requirements on the reduction, re-usage, and 

(organic) recycling of plastic products. These legislative 

matters together with increasing awareness amongst 

consumers and producers emanated the appearance 

of (bio)degradable plastics in the market. Nonetheless, 

there is currently still a lot of confusion on the definition 

of (bio)degradable plastics and their actual behaviour 

in the environment. As misinformation might give rise to 

greenwashing and incorrect expectations for these products, 

causing more harm than good for the environment, clear 

terminology and communication between all parties are of 

utmost importance. Topics like bioplastics, biodegradability 

& compostability will be rolled out in the paragraphs below. 

Bioplastics… What’s in a name? 

The question “What are bioplastics?” might be more 

difficult than it seems. What comes to mind when you think 

of bioplastics? Plastics derived from natural materials? 

Plastics that can be biodegraded? Or are bioplastics both 

of the above? (Fig. 1). 

First of all, it is important to note that the nature of 

the raw material is not directly connected to its potential 

to biodegrade. Plastics of petrochemical origin can be 

biodegradable while plastics from natural feedstocks – known 

as biobased plastics – are not necessarily biodegradable. 

Examples of biobased but non-biodegradable plastics 

include bio-PE and bio-PET. Since these have an identical 

chemical structure as their petro-based alternatives, these 

are not biodegradable and should be managed in the same 

way as conventional PET. Vice versa, not all petro-based 

polymers are non-biodegradable. Examples like PBAT and 

PCL can be biodegraded in compost. 

The fact is that the term ‘bioplastics’ is not clearly 

defined and can be misleading or confusing to customers. 

Therefore, experts are tending towards using biobased 

plastics or biodegradable plastics over the term bioplastics. 

Complete biodegradability 

Biodegradation can be defined as the biochemical 

conversion of materials into natural substances like CO 2 

and water (and CH 4 

if biodegradation is anaerobic) through 

the activity of micro-organisms (Fig. 2). It is important to 

note that not all organic carbon is converted, as a small part 

is assimilated as microbial biomass. To take this biomass 

assimilation into account, biodegradation is considered 

complete if 90 % conversion of organic carbon to CO 2 

is 

achieved. It is important to understand this may absolutely 

not be seen as 10 % microplastics remaining. 

Conversion to CO 2 

is the only correct way to quantify 

biodegradation. Parameters like visual disappearance of 

material, molecular weight reduction, loss of technical 

material characteristics are often wrongfully used to make 

claims on biodegradation. However, these parameters 

only prove biological activity but do not guarantee actual 

biodegradation. 

Biodegradation and the importance of the 

environment 

Biodegradation is caused by enzymatic, microbial, and/ 

or fungal activity. As microbial ecology varies from one 

environment to another, it is important to understand that 

biodegradability is highly dependent on the environment. 

The claim of biodegradability should always be linked 

to a specific environment. For instance, lignin-rich 

materials (e.g., hardwood) may biodegrade relatively fast 

in environments with fungi present like in soil or compost, 

while these materials can persist for decades in water or 

landfills. There are cases of perfectly conserved newspapers 

(high lignin content) from the 1960s found in landfills today. 

As another example, standard PLA requires a thermal 

trigger (> 50 °C) before the biodegradation process can be 

started. These high temperatures are achieved in industrial 

composting facilities or anaerobic digesters operating 

at high temperatures. However, when thrown in the 

composting heap at home this material will not biodegrade 

in the required time frame. As this can be very frustrating 

for customers it is important for producers to clearly 

indicate in which environment the product is biodegradable 

and generic claims on biodegradability should not be made. 

Composting plants are very diverse and may operate at 

a higher or lower technology level, with different loading 

rates, process durations, temperatures, etc. Also, our 

planet offers a great variety in soils, fresh & marine waters. 

Some soils may be extremely hot and dry, while other soils 

can be wet and almost anaerobic. It would be impossible 

and impractical to have different testing standards for 

each possible environment. It is therefore important to 

have reliable test methods that can be used to prove 

biodegradability of materials in various environments. The 

purpose of lab testing is to prove the inherent nature of the 

material to biodegrade under a given set of environmental 

conditions. It is also important that results are accurate and 


By: 

Bruno De Wilde, Managing Director, 

Astrid Van Houtte and Tristan Houtteman 

Marketing & Sales Engineers 

OWS 

Gent, Belgium 

Basics 

reproducible. Lab tests are per definition always optimized 

but not accelerated, meaning that all parameters like 

temperature, pH, nutrients, etc. are optimized except for the 

parameter which is studied. For biodegradation, testing this 

limiting parameter will be the carbon source. Furthermore, 

a positive reference material (easily biodegradable e.g., 

cellulose) is also included and used to validate the test. 

The recurring question often asked is whether materials 

that pass testing at optimized test conditions will also 

biodegrade in the actual environment. The answer is that 

in reality, the same level of biodegradation will be obtained, 

yet, the rate will depend on local conditions (temperature, 

humidity, etc.). 

Composting, so much more than biodegradation 

A well-known managed end-of-life environment is 

compost. Very often compostability is used interchangeably 

with biodegradability. The fact is that compostability is 

a much broader concept. One European standard with 

requirements on biodegradability is EN 13432 (2000) on 

industrial compostability of packaging, covering also 

requirements for chemical characteristics, disintegration, 

and ecotoxicity. All four requirements must be met before 

a product can be considered compostable. Compostable 

products will therefore be biodegradable under composting 

conditions but not necessarily vice versa (Fig. 3). 

During chemical characterization, concentrations 

of heavy metal & fluorine are compared to pre-defined 

limits. The goal of ecotoxicity testing is to check whether 

degraded material, present in the produced compost, 

does not exert any adverse effects on test species (plants 

and/or earthworms). Biodegradation can be seen as 

degradation on a biochemical level, while disintegration is 

the physical breakdown or fragmentation of material into 

smaller particles. In real-life composting, disintegration & 

biodegradation are closely intertwined. To further illustrate 

the difference between biodegradation & disintegration one 

can take wood as an example. Wood is biodegradable, that 

is a fact. However, not all wood is compostable. A small twig 

will disintegrate almost directly, while a big tree trunk might 

take several decades to disintegrate. Another example is 

conventionally non-biodegradable plastics enriched with 

additives which are said to improve degradation. These 

additives can indeed enhance disintegration of polymers and 

are used as a solution for the visual contamination of litter. 

However, complete biodegradation is not really proven and 

the residual microplastics may persist in the environment 

for a very long time. Therefore, these additives are regarded 

more as an out of sight, out of mind solution, rather than as 

a sustainable solution to combat plastic pollution. 

Uncontrolled environments 

Not all plastics end up in managed end-of-life sites. Some 

materials may unintentionally disperse in uncontrolled 

environments like soil, waterways, or marine due to littering 

AEROBIC BIODEGRADATION 

Fig. 1: biobased plastics, biodegradable plastics 

Microorganisms 

+ O 2 

Biochemistry 

CO 2 

H 2 

O 

Humus 

Biomass 

Fig. 2: “The circle of life” 

Environmental 

safety 

Chemical 

characteristics 

(Heavy metals) 

Ecotoxicity 

(Effect on plants) 

Fig. 3: All four requirements must be met 

Organic matter 

Degradation 

Biodegradation 

(Degradation on 

a chemical level) 

Disintegration 

(Degradationon 

a physicallevel) 

Basic Photosynthesis 

7 


Basics 

but also due to their functional use in these environments 

(think about horticultural aids, fertilizer coatings, fishing 

nets, etc.). Several specific test methods exist to assess 

degradability of materials in these uncontrolled environments. 

Recently, new test methods have been developed to assess 

biodegradability in marine water habitats. The sea is a very 

diverse environment with many different habitats, like the 

open water, seawater/sediment interface, or the marine 

sediment, and there is still a lot of research to be done here. 

A standard specification with pass/fail criteria on 

biodegradability of products intentionally used on and in 

soil did not exist until 2018, at which point EN 17033 (2018) 

for biodegradable mulch films was published. Aside from 

biodegradability in soil, additional requirements linked to 

heavy metals & toxicity are included. 

Long-term biodegradation, an opportunity? 

Certain products should biodegrade within a short 

timeframe as these materials have a short functional life 

(e.g., detergents) or as these materials often only spend a 

limited time in the processing facility (e.g., food service ware) 

like a composting plant or anaerobic digester. The main focus 

of current certificates is also on these ready biodegradable 

products. 

However, ready biodegradability is not always the best 

option since certain materials first need to fulfil their (long) 

functional life in the environment before biodegrading. This 

offers a whole new range of challenges and opportunities 

for producers. Examples of such materials can be found 

in horticulture. Mulch films should have good mechanical 

properties over their operational lifetime (one or multiple 

seasons) and the degradation process should only start when 

mulch films are ploughed into the soil. Another example from 

horticulture is slow-release fertilizers. These polymers should 

continuously degrade over a long period of time to guarantee 

continuous release of the fertilizer. Also in pisciculture, there 

are materials that end up in the ocean and cannot be easily 

retrieved. For these materials in situ biodegradation in soil/ 

water offers an added value. 

Day-to-day products like textiles, shoe soles or car tires are 

another source of unintentionally dispersed microplastics. 

Although these products should not be marketed as 

biodegradable, it would be beneficial if these materials 

degrade over time and would be non-persistent. For these 

types of materials, long-term biodegradation and thus nonpersistency 

has an added value. 

However, biodegradability should never be used as a license 

to litter. Therefore, a distinction should be made between 

biodegradability as an inherent product characteristic that can 

be communicated on a business-to-business or a businessto-government 

level and biodegradability as an end-of-life 

option that can be communicated to the public. For example, 

it is beneficial if cigarette filters are biodegradable, although 

they should not be marketed as such as to not encourage 

littering. In a lot of regions, it is therefore also prohibited to 

market products as biodegradable. 

In summary 

If we want to tackle the plastics waste problem, a systemic 

approach with regard to waste will be needed. Products 

should be designed for reusability & recyclability, however, 

for certain applications including highly contaminated waste 

like food service ware and coffee capsules, this is not always 

possible. In such cases, organic recycling (biodegradation) 

is a good alternative. Clear communication between 

legislators, producers, consumers, and waste operating 

facilities is vital to ensure proper waste management. 

Biodegradability is highly dependent on the environment 

as it is linked to the activity of different types of microorganisms 

present. It is important to select the 

environment in which to test the biodegradability based 

on the foreseen end-of-life of the product. Managed 

end-of-life options include composting and anaerobic 

digestion. Unmanaged end-of-life environments include 

soil, fresh water, and marine water. Products leaking into 

uncontrolled environments should not necessarily be ready 

biodegradable, although non-persistency for these types of 

products is all the more important. 

About the authors 

This article was written by Bruno De Wilde (Managing 

Director of OWS), Astrid Van Houtte & Tristan Houtteman 

(both Marketing & Sales Engineers at OWS). OWS is a 

strictly independent testing laboratory and has over 30 

years of experience in the field of biodegradability and 

compostability testing, for which it is certified & accredited 

to ISO 17025. OWS is the only laboratory worldwide that 

is recognized by all certification bodies active in the field 

of biodegradability and compostability: TÜV AUSTRIA 

(Belgium), DIN CERTCO (Germany), BPI (US), JBPA (Japan) 

and ABA (Australia). Furthermore, OWS is a (very) active 

member of several normalization organizations such as 

ISO (international), CEN (European) and ASTM (US) and 

is the official Belgian delegate of several ISO and CEN 

committees. For more information about OWS, you can visit 

their website. 

www.ows.be 


Automotive 

10 

Years ago 

Published in 


Rubber from 

dandelions 

Could Taraxacum koksaghyz 

be a future source of rubber 

for the tyre industry? 

Taraxacum koksaghyz 

(photos: Christian Schulze Gronover) 

Automotive 

E 

ven the rubber industry has felt the impact of a shortage 

of raw material and so is seeking alternatives to the supply 

of natural rubber from the Hevea brasiliensis tree. 

This tree grows very slowly and needs about 20 years before 

it yields its harvest. “Natural rubber is gaining in interest 

because of the price of oil”, says Dirk Prüfer, professor and 

head of department at the Institute for Plant Biochemistry 

and Biotechnology at the Wilhelms University in Münster. The 

amount produced today will hardly be enough to cover demand. 

As an alternative dandelions are possibly a solution. During 

World War II the Americans, Soviets and Germans were looking 

at such alternatives. The idea of using dandelions as a natural 

source of raw materials was initiated by the Soviets in the 

early 1930s. When the Japanese occupied South-East Asia the 

Russians and Americans started to look seriously at producing 

a natural product from dandelions. On the occupation of the 

region by the Americans the Germans were using the technology 

Dandelion produces in its root, amongst other things, natural 

rubber, and can be successfully grown in wide areas of Europe 

which in other respects are not particularly fertile. If this were to 

be done on a commercial scale then the numerous existing wild 

species would have to be grown under agricultural conditions. 

In particular it will be a case of increasing the yield. 

A German group of six research partners have been working 

since spring 2011 on the methodical basis of a cultivation 

programme for Caucasian or Russian dandelion (Taraxacum 

koksaghyz). 

The project is being promoted by the German Federal Ministry 

of Food, Agriculture and Consumer Protection (BMELV) via the 

Agency for Renewable Resources (FNR). 

The first step in the research programme is the adaptation 

of existing biotechnical cultivation methods to dandelion 

cultivation. Alongside this the researchers want to obtain 

seeds in kilogram quantities. The Continental Tyre Company 

(Continental Reifen AG), an industrial partner of the group, is 

planning tests of the first natural rubber samples. 

In terms of cultivation the researchers, unlike in other 

European R&D projects on the same topic, are focussing on 

two year old plants. They expect to obtain, among other things, 

a higher potential yield in the second year. The disadvantage of 

a 2-year cycle is that the cultivation takes longer because only 

in the second year do the plants produce seed. For this reason 

the scientists want to use methods such as special analysis 

techniques to accelerate the process as much as possible. 

In February of this year, a new project, supported by the 

German Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF) 

will be launched. The project partners are: Continental Reifen 

Deutschland GmbH, Synthomer, Südzucker AG, Fraunhofer 

IME & ICB, Aeskulap GmbH, University Stuttgart, Max-Plack- 

Institute for Plant Breeding, Julius Kühn Institut, LipoFIT 

Analytic GmbH. The goal is the sustainable development of 

dandelion as an alternative source to replace natural rubber, 

latex and inulin. Stay tuned - bioplastics MAGAZINE will keep you 

updated on this project. MT 

In January 2022, 

Fred Eickmeyer, 

Managing director and plant breeder 

Eskusa, Parkstetten Germany 

says: 

Rubber made from dandelions, dismissed 

as a crazy idea around 10 years 

ago, is now the basis for the commercial 

production of a first bicycle tyre - the Continental 

Urban Taraxagum ® . To achieve 

this, many innovations were made. First, 

using molecular data on rubber biosynthesis, 

high-rubber-yielding dandelion lines were established 

through knowledge-based breeding 

from wild varieties. In parallel, good agricultural 

practices were developed for growing dandelions 

in the field, from sowing to harvesting seeds 

and roots. Field-cultivated plants formed the 

basis for the development of an extraction process 

that enables the environmentally 

friendly extraction of natural rubber 

from dandelion roots. Finally, the 

process parameters were adapted 

so that the new raw material found 

its way into industrial bicycle production. 

Subsequent tests showed 

that the dandelion bicycle tyre performed 

optimally in all categories. 

And the story continues: currently, 

all process steps are being scaled 

up so that car tyres made of dandelion 

rubber will also be found 

on the roads in the future. Local 

production of natural rubber with 

dandelions will hopefully also 

help to stop the further conversion 

of unique tropical rainforests 

into rubber tree monocultures 

- which would be of great 

importance for the preservation 

of biodiversity and climate stability. 

A core team of 5 partners 

(Continental Reifen AG, Fraunhofer 

IME, WWU Münster, JKI, 

ESKUSA) still works with the 

same enthusiasm on the development 

of dandelion towards 

a sustainable industrial 

rubber plant. They are supported 

by Continental and by 

the German Federal Ministry 

of Agriculture (BMEL) via the 

Agency for Renewable Resources 

(FNR). 

https://tinyurl.com/dandelion-2011

1. Raw Materials 

Suppliers Guide 

AGRANA Starch 

Bioplastics 

Conrathstraße 7 

A-3950 Gmuend, Austria 

bioplastics.starch@agrana.com 

www.agrana.com 

Xinjiang Blue Ridge Tunhe 

Polyester Co., Ltd. 

No. 316, South Beijing Rd. Changji, 

Xinjiang, 831100, P.R.China 

Tel.: +86 994 22 90 90 9 

Mob: +86 187 99 283 100 

chenjianhui@lanshantunhe.com 

www.lanshantunhe.com 

PBAT & PBS resin supplier 

Kingfa Sci. & Tech. Co., Ltd. 

No.33 Kefeng Rd, Sc. City, Guangzhou 

Hi-Tech Ind. Development Zone, 

Guangdong, P.R. China. 510663 

Tel: +86 (0)20 6622 1696 

info@ecopond.com.cn 

www.kingfa.com 

BASF SE 

Ludwigshafen, Germany 

Tel: +49 621 60-99951 

martin.bussmann@basf.com 

www.ecovio.com 

Mixcycling Srl 

Via dell‘Innovazione, 2 

36042 Breganze (VI), Italy 

Phone: +39 04451911890 

info@mixcycling.it 

www.mixcycling.it 

FKuR Kunststoff GmbH 

Siemensring 79 

D - 47 877 Willich 

Tel. +49 2154 9251-0 

Tel.: +49 2154 9251-51 

sales@fkur.com 

www.fkur.com 

Simply contact: 

Tel.: +49 2161 6884467 

suppguide@bioplasticsmagazine.com 

Stay permanently listed in the 

Suppliers Guide with your company 

logo and contact information. 

For only 6,– EUR per mm, per issue you 

can be listed among top suppliers in the 

field of bioplastics. 

Gianeco S.r.l. 

Via Magenta 57 10128 Torino - Italy 

Tel.+390119370420 

info@gianeco.com 

www.gianeco.com 

Xiamen Changsu Industrial Co., Ltd 

Tel +86-592-6899303 

Mobile:+ 86 185 5920 1506 

Email: andy@chang-su.com.cn 

1.1 bio based monomers 

1.2 compounds 

GRAFE-Group 

Waldecker Straße 21, 

99444 Blankenhain, Germany 

Tel. +49 36459 45 0 

www.grafe.com 

39 mm 

For Example: 

Polymedia Publisher GmbH 

Dammer Str. 112 

41066 Mönchengladbach 

Germany 

Tel. +49 2161 664864 

Fax +49 2161 631045 

info@bioplasticsmagazine.com 


Sample Charge: 

39mm x 6,00 € 

= 234,00 € per entry/per issue 

Sample Charge for one year: 

6 issues x 234,00 EUR = 1,404.00 € 

The entry in our Suppliers Guide is 

bookable for one year (6 issues) and extends 

automatically if it’s not cancelled 

three month before expiry. 

PTT MCC Biochem Co., Ltd. 

info@pttmcc.com / www.pttmcc.com 

Tel: +66(0) 2 140-3563 

MCPP Germany GmbH 

+49 (0) 211 520 54 662 

Julian.Schmeling@mcpp-europe.com 

MCPP France SAS 

+33 (0)2 51 65 71 43 

fabien.resweber@mcpp-europe.com 

Microtec Srl 

Via Po’, 53/55 

30030, Mellaredo di Pianiga (VE), 

Italy 

Tel.: +39 041 5190621 

Fax.: +39 041 5194765 

info@microtecsrl.com 

www.biocomp.it 

Earth Renewable Technologies BR 

Estr. Velha do Barigui 10511, Brazil 

slink@earthrenewable.com 

www.earthrenewable.com 

Trinseo 

1000 Chesterbrook Blvd. Suite 300 

Berwyn, PA 19312 

+1 855 8746736 

www.trinseo.com 

BIO-FED 

Branch of AKRO-PLASTIC GmbH 

BioCampus Cologne 

Nattermannallee 1 

50829 Cologne, Germany 

Tel.: +49 221 88 88 94-00 

info@bio-fed.com 

www.bio-fed.com 

Green Dot Bioplastics 

527 Commercial St Suite 310 

Emporia, KS 66801 

Tel.: +1 620-273-8919 

info@greendotbioplastics.com 

www.greendotbioplastics.com 

Plásticos Compuestos S.A. 

C/ Basters 15 

08184 Palau Solità i Plegamans 

Barcelona, Spain 

Tel. +34 93 863 96 70 

info@kompuestos.com 

www.kompuestos.com 

NUREL Engineering Polymers 

Ctra. Barcelona, km 329 

50016 Zaragoza, Spain 

Tel: +34 976 465 579 

inzea@samca.com 

www.inzea-biopolymers.com 

www.facebook.com 

www.issuu.com 

www.twitter.com 

www.youtube.com 

Tel: +86 351-8689356 

Fax: +86 351-8689718 

www.jinhuizhaolong.com 

ecoworldsales@jinhuigroup.com 

Global Biopolymers Co.,Ltd. 

Bioplastics compounds 

(PLA+starch;PLA+rubber) 

194 Lardproa80 yak 14 

Wangthonglang, Bangkok 

Thailand 10310 

info@globalbiopolymers.com 

www.globalbiopolymers.com 

Tel +66 81 9150446 

a brand of 

Helian Polymers BV 

Bremweg 7 

5951 DK Belfeld 

The Netherlands 

Tel. +31 77 398 09 09 

sales@helianpolymers.com 

https://pharadox.com 


Sukano AG 

Chaltenbodenstraße 23 

CH-8834 Schindellegi 

Tel. +41 44 787 57 77 

Fax +41 44 787 57 78 

www.sukano.com 

Biofibre GmbH 

Member of Steinl Group 

Sonnenring 35 

D-84032 Altdorf 

Fon: +49 (0)871 308-0 

Fax: +49 (0)871 308-183 

info@biofibre.de 

www.biofibre.de 

Natureplast – Biopolynov 

11 rue François Arago 

14123 IFS 

Tel: +33 (0)2 31 83 50 87 

www.natureplast.eu 

TECNARO GmbH 

Bustadt 40 

D-74360 Ilsfeld. Germany 

Tel: +49 (0)7062/97687-0 

www.tecnaro.de 

P O L i M E R 

GEMA POLIMER A.S. 

Ege Serbest Bolgesi, Koru Sk., 

No.12, Gaziemir, Izmir 35410, 

Turkey 

+90 (232) 251 5041 

info@gemapolimer.com 

http://www.gemabio.com 

1.3 PLA 

Total Corbion PLA bv 

Stadhuisplein 70 

4203 NS Gorinchem 


Tel.: +31 183 695 695 

Fax.: +31 183 695 604 

www.total-corbion.com 

pla@total-corbion.com 

Zhejiang Hisun Biomaterials Co.,Ltd. 

No.97 Waisha Rd, Jiaojiang District, 

Taizhou City, Zhejiang Province, China 

Tel: +86-576-88827723 

pla@hisunpharm.com 

www.hisunplas.com 

ECO-GEHR PLA-HI® 

- Sheets 2 /3 /4 mm – 1 x 2 m - 

GEHR GmbH 

Mannheim / Germany 

Tel: +49-621-8789-127 

laudenklos@gehr.de 

www.gehr.de 

1.4 starch-based bioplastics 

BIOTEC 

Biologische Naturverpackungen 

Werner-Heisenberg-Strasse 32 

46446 Emmerich/Germany 

Tel.: +49 (0) 2822 – 92510 

info@biotec.de 

www.biotec.de 

Plásticos Compuestos S.A. 

C/ Basters 15 

08184 Palau Solità i Plegamans 

Barcelona, Spain 

Tel. +34 93 863 96 70 

info@kompuestos.com 

www.kompuestos.com 

UNITED BIOPOLYMERS S.A. 

Parque Industrial e Empresarial 

da Figueira da Foz 

Praça das Oliveiras, Lote 126 

3090-451 Figueira da Foz – Portugal 

Phone: +351 233 403 420 

info@unitedbiopolymers.com 

www.unitedbiopolymers.com 

1.5 PHA 

Kaneka Belgium N.V. 

Nijverheidsstraat 16 

2260 Westerlo-Oevel, Belgium 

Tel: +32 (0)14 25 78 36 

Fax: +32 (0)14 25 78 81 

info.biopolymer@kaneka.be 

TianAn Biopolymer 

No. 68 Dagang 6th Rd, 

Beilun, Ningbo, China, 315800 

Tel. +86-57 48 68 62 50 2 

Fax +86-57 48 68 77 98 0 

enquiry@tianan-enmat.com 

www.tianan-enmat.com 

1.6 masterbatches 

GRAFE-Group 



Tel. +49 36459 45 0 

www.grafe.com 

Albrecht Dinkelaker 

Polymer- and Product Development 

Talstrasse 83 

60437 Frankfurt am Main, Germany 

Tel.:+49 (0)69 76 89 39 10 

info@polyfea2.de 

www.caprowax-p.eu 

Treffert GmbH & Co. KG 

In der Weide 17 

55411 Bingen am Rhein; Germany 

+49 6721 403 0 

www.treffert.eu 

Treffert S.A.S. 

Rue de la Jontière 

57255 Sainte-Marie-aux-Chênes, 

France 

+33 3 87 31 84 84 

www.treffert.fr 

www.granula.eu 

2. Additives/Secondary raw materials 

GRAFE-Group 



Tel. +49 36459 45 0 

www.grafe.com 

3. Semi finished products 

3.1 Sheets 

Customised Sheet Xtrusion 

James Wattstraat 5 

7442 DC Nijverdal 


+31 (548) 626 111 

info@csx-nijverdal.nl 

www.csx-nijverdal.nl 

4. Bioplastics products 

Bio4Pack GmbH 

Marie-Curie-Straße 5 

48529 Nordhorn, Germany 

Tel. +49 (0)5921 818 37 00 

info@bio4pack.com 

www.bio4pack.com 

Plant-based and Compostable PLA Cups and Lids 

Great River Plastic Manufacturer 

Company Limited 

Tel.: +852 95880794 

sam@shprema.com 

https://eco-greatriver.com/ 

Minima Technology Co., Ltd. 

Esmy Huang, Vice president 

Yunlin, Taiwan(R.O.C) 

Mobile: (886) 0-982 829988 

Email: esmy@minima-tech.com 

Website: www.minima.com 

w OEM/ODM (B2B) 

w Direct Supply Branding (B2C) 

w Total Solution/Turnkey Project 

Naturabiomat 

AT: office@naturabiomat.at 

DE: office@naturabiomat.de 

NO: post@naturabiomat.no 

FI: info@naturabiomat.fi 

www.naturabiomat.com 

Natur-Tec ® - Northern Technologies 

4201 Woodland Road 

Circle Pines, MN 55014 USA 

Tel. +1 763.404.8700 

Fax +1 763.225.6645 

info@natur-tec.com 

www.natur-tec.com 

NOVAMONT S.p.A. 

Via Fauser , 8 

28100 Novara - ITALIA 

Fax +39.0321.699.601 

Tel. +39.0321.699.611 

www.novamont.com 



6. Equipment 

6.1 Machinery & Molds 

10.2 Universities 


Buss AG 

Hohenrainstrasse 10 

4133 Pratteln / Switzerland 

Tel.: +41 61 825 66 00 

Fax: +41 61 825 68 58 

info@busscorp.com 

www.busscorp.com 

6.2 Degradability Analyzer 

MODA: Biodegradability Analyzer 

SAIDA FDS INC. 

143-10 Isshiki, Yaizu, 

Shizuoka,Japan 

Tel:+81-54-624-6155 

Fax: +81-54-623-8623 

info_fds@saidagroup.jp 

www.saidagroup.jp/fds_en/ 

7. Plant engineering 

EREMA Engineering Recycling 

Maschinen und Anlagen GmbH 

Unterfeldstrasse 3 

4052 Ansfelden, AUSTRIA 

Phone: +43 (0) 732 / 3190-0 

Fax: +43 (0) 732 / 3190-23 

erema@erema.at 

www.erema.at 

9. Services 

Innovation Consulting Harald Kaeb 

narocon 

Dr. Harald Kaeb 

Tel.: +49 30-28096930 

kaeb@narocon.de 

www.narocon.de 

nova-Institut GmbH 

Chemiepark Knapsack 

Industriestrasse 300 

50354 Huerth, Germany 

Tel.: +49(0)2233-48-14 40 

E-Mail: contact@nova-institut.de 

www.biobased.eu 

Bioplastics Consulting 

Tel. +49 2161 664864 

info@polymediaconsult.com 

10. Institutions 

10.1 Associations 

BPI - The Biodegradable 

Products Institute 

331 West 57th Street, Suite 415 

New York, NY 10019, USA 

Tel. +1-888-274-5646 

info@bpiworld.org 

Institut für Kunststofftechnik 

Universität Stuttgart 

Böblinger Straße 70 

70199 Stuttgart 

Tel +49 711/685-62831 

silvia.kliem@ikt.uni-stuttgart.de 

www.ikt.uni-stuttgart.de 

Michigan State University 

Dept. of Chem. Eng & Mat. Sc. 

Professor Ramani Narayan 

East Lansing MI 48824, USA 

Tel. +1 517 719 7163 

narayan@msu.edu 

IfBB – Institute for Bioplastics 

and Biocomposites 

University of Applied Sciences 

and Arts Hanover 

Faculty II – Mechanical and 

Bioprocess Engineering 

Heisterbergallee 12 

30453 Hannover, Germany 

Tel.: +49 5 11 / 92 96 - 22 69 

Fax: +49 5 11 / 92 96 - 99 - 22 69 

lisa.mundzeck@hs-hannover.de 

www.ifbb-hannover.de/ 

10.3 Other Institutions 

Green Serendipity 

Caroli Buitenhuis 

IJburglaan 836 

1087 EM Amsterdam 


Tel.: +31 6-24216733 

www.greenseredipity.nl 

Osterfelder Str. 3 

46047 Oberhausen 

Tel.: +49 (0)208 8598 1227 

thomas.wodke@umsicht.fhg.de 

www.umsicht.fraunhofer.de 

European Bioplastics e.V. 

Marienstr. 19/20 

10117 Berlin, Germany 

Tel. +49 30 284 82 350 

Fax +49 30 284 84 359 

info@european-bioplastics.org 


GO!PHA 

Rick Passenier 

Oudebrugsteeg 9 

1012JN Amsterdam 


info@gopha.org 

www.gopha.org 

Our new 

frame 

colours 

Bioplastics related topics, 

i.e., all topics around 

biobased and biodegradable 

plastics, come in the familiar 

green frame. 

All topics related to 

Advanced Recycling, such 

as chemical recycling 

or enzymatic degradation 

of mixed waste into building 

blocks for new plastics have 

this turquoise coloured 

frame. 

When it comes to plastics 

made of any kind of carbon 

source associated with 

Carbon Capture & Utilisation 

we use this frame colour. 

The familiar blue 

frame stands for rather 

administrative sections, 

such as the table of 

contents or the “Dear 

readers” on page 3. 

If a topic belongs to more 

than one group, we use 

crosshatched frames. 

Ochre/green stands for 

Carbon Capture & 

Bioplastics, e. g., PHA made 

from methane. 

Articles covering Recycling 

and Bioplastics ... 

Recycling & Carbon Capture 

We’re sure, you got it! 

As you may have already noticed, we are expanding our scope of topics. With the main target in focus – getting away from fossil resources – we are strongly 

supporting the idea of Renewable Carbon. So, in addition to our traditional bioplastics topics, about biobased and biodegradable plastics, we also started covering 

topics from the fields of Carbon Capture and Utilisation as well as Advanced Recycling. 

To better differentiate the different overarching topics in the magazine, we modified our layout. 


Vol. 17 

ISSN 1862-5258 

Subscribe 

now at 

bioplasticsmagazine.com 

the next six issues for €179.– 1) 

Special offer 

for students and 

young professionals 

1,2) € 99.- 

2) aged 35 and below. 

Send a scan of your 

student card, your ID 

or similar proof. 

Event Calendar 

You can meet us 

International Conference on Cellulose Fibres 2022 

02.02. - 03.02.2022 - Cologne, Germany 

https://cellulose-fibres.eu/ 

Forum of Biobased & Biodegradable materials 

09.03. - 10.02.2022 - Shenzhen, China 

https://tinyurl.com/bio-shenzhen 

bio!PAC 2021/22 (NEW DATE !) 

by bioplastics MAGAZINE 

15.03. - 16.03.2022 - Online 


Conference on CO 2 

-based Fuels and Chemicals 


http://co2-chemistry.eu/ 

PIAE – International professional congress for plastics 

in cars 

30.03. - 31.03.2022 - Mannheim, Germany 

https://www.vdiconference.com/piae/ 

CHINAPLAS 2022 

25.04. - 28.04.2022 - Shanghai, China 

www.chinaplasonline.com/CPS22 

Events 

daily updated eventcalendar at 


The Renewable Materials Conference 


https://renewable-materials.eu/ 

bioplastics MAGAZINE Vol. 16 

Bioplastics - CO 2 -based Plastics - Advanced Recycling 

Highlights 

Coating | 10 

Films, Flexibles, Bags | 40 

Basics 

Cellulose based bioplastics | 50 

Bioplastics - CO 2 -based Plastics - Advanced Recycling 


Cover Story 

First straw bans 

begin to topple | 7 

2007 

Highlights 


Foam | 36 

06 / 2021 

Basics 


ISSN 1862-5258 ... is read in 92 countries Nov/Dec 




7 th PLA World Congress 

by bioplastics MAGAZINE 

24.05. - 25.05.2022 -Munich, Germany 

www.pla-world-congress.com 

Interfoam 2022 

15.06. - 17.06.2022 - Shanghai, China 

www.interfoam.cn/en 

Plastics for Cleaner Planet - Conference 

26.06. - 28.06.2022 - New York City Area, USA 

https://innoplastsolutions.com/conference 

Bioplastix India 

29.07. - 30.07.2022 - Bangalore, India 

https://bioplastex.com/ 

Subject to changes. 

For up to date event-info visit https://www.bioplasticsmagazine.com/en/event-calendar/ 

+ 

or 

Use the promotion code ‘watch‘ or ‘book‘ 

and you will get our watch or the book 3) 

Bioplastics Basics. Applications. Markets. for free 

(new subscribers only). 

1) Offer valid until 31 March 2022. 

3) Gratis-Buch in Deutschland leider nicht möglich (Buchpreisbindung). 

Watch as long as supply lasts. 


Companies in this issue 

Company Editorial Advert Company Editorial Advert Company Editorial Advert 

Adsale / Chinaplas 16 27 

Agency for Renewable Resources (FNR) 53 

Agrana Starch Bioplastics 54 

Amsilk 28 

Anellotech 47 

Arkema 7,24 

Avantium 6,14 

Balstic Yacht 26 

BASF 12,24,34 54 

Bausano 40 

Bcomp 30 

Beijing Univ. Chem. Tech. 22 

Bio4pack 14 55 

Bio-Based Industry Joint Undertkaing 23 

Bio-Fed Branch of Akro-Plastic 54 

Biofibre 55 

Biomitive 23 

Biotec 4,14 55,59 

BluePHA 6 

BMEL 30,53 

Bonsucro 44 

BPI 56 

Braskem 24 

Buss 13,56 

Caprowachs, Albrecht Dinkelaker 55 

Cathay Biotech 16,18 

ColorFABB 13 

Continental 22,53 

Cortec Corporation 46 

Covestro 36 

Crop Energies 30 

Customized Sheet Extrusion 55 

Danimer Scientific 8 

Desserto 28 

Dow 2,36 

Dr. Heinz Gupta Verlag 35 

DrinkWell 49 

DSM 49 

Earth Renewable Technologies 46 

Earthfirst Films by Sidaplax 14 

Eastman Chemical Company 24 

Eoc-mobilier 36 

Erema 56 

Eskusa 53 

European Bioplastics 5,8,10,11,14,42 56 

European Commission 10 

Evonik Industries 24 

Fabulous 39 

FAO 8 

FKuR 14 2,54 

Ford 30 

Four Motors 30 

Fraunhofer IME 53 

Fraunhofer UMSICHT 56 

Next issues 

Issue 

Month 

Publ. 

Date 

edit/ad/ 

Deadline 

02/2022 Mar/Apr 04.04.2022 04.03.2022 Thermoforming / 

Rigid Packaging 

Fraunhofer WKI 30 

Futamura 45 

Future Market Insights 24 

Gehr 55 

Gema Polimers 55 

Genecis Bioindustries 6 

Gianeco 54 

Global Biopolymers 54 

Go!PHA 56 

Goodyear 22 

Grafe 54,55 

Granula 55 

Great River Plastic Manuf. 55 

Green Dot Bioplastics 54 

Green Serendipity 14 56 

Grupo Antolin 34 

Gruppo Fabbri Vignola 12 

H&S Anlagentechnik 36 

Helian Polymers 6,13 54 

Hellerman Tyton 49 

Hexpol TPE 46 

ICC Plus 44 

IDPRINT 3D 39 

Inst. F. Bioplastics & Biocomposites 56 

Institut f. Kunststofftechnik, Stuttgart 56 

JinHui ZhaoLong High Technology 54 

JKI 53 

Joint Research Centre JRC 10,42 

Kaneka 38 55 

Kingfa 54 

Kinner 26 

Kompuestos 54,55 

Kreyenborg 41 

Manthey racing 31 

Mercedes-Benz 28 

Michigan State University 56 

Microtec 54 

Minima Technology 55 

Mitsubishi Chemical 24 

Mixcycling 54 

Mylo 28 

NaKu 14 

narocon InnovationConsulting 56 

Naturabiomat 55 

Natureplast-Biopolynov 55 

NatureWorks 5,14,24,42 

Natur-Tec 55 

Neste 14 

nova Institute 11,14 21,25,49,56 

Novamont 14 55,6 

Numi Organic Tea 14 

Nurel 54 

Orrison Chemicals Orgaform 36 

OTIZ 22 

Edit. Focus 1 Edit. Focus 2 Basics 

Additives / 

Masterbatch / Adh. 

30/2022 May/Jun 07.06.2022 06.05.2022 Injection moulding Beauty & 

Healthcare 

04/2022 Jul/Aug 01.08.2022 01. Jul 22 Blow Moulding Polyurethanes/ 

Elastomers/Rubber 

05/2022 Sep/Oct 04.10.2022 02.09.2022 Fiber / Textile / 

Nonwoven 

06/2022 Nov/Dec 05.12.2022 04.11.2022 Films/Flexibles/ 

Bags 

Building & 

Construction 

Consumer 

Electronics 

OWS 14,5 

Pepsoco Europe 48 

plasticker 24 

polymediaconsult 56 

Porsche 30 

PTT/MCC 54 

PureGreen 14 

Refork 13 

Renault 30 

Ricoh Europe 14 

Rodenburg Biopolymers 14 

Ronal 32 

RSB 44 

RWDC 14 

SACMI Chocolate 45 

Saida 56 

Sappi Europe 20 

Scotch & Soda 48 

Shandong Chambroard 22 

Shandong Linglong Tire 22 

Solvay 5,24 

Sukano 55 

Sulapac 14 

Suntory Group 47 

Superfoodguru 14 

Swan 26 

Taghleef Industries 14 

Tecnaro 55 

Teco2il 30 

The Vita Group 36 

TianAn Biopolymer 55 

Tipa 14,48 

TNO 14 

Total Corbion PLA 6,14,24 55 

TotalEnergies Corbion 6,8 

Treffert 55 

Trillium Renewable Chemicals 5 

Trinseo 54 

TU Delft 14 

TÜV Austria Belgium 38 

UBQ 28 

United Biopolymers 55 

United Nations 8 

Univ. Amsterdam 14 

Univ. Stuttgart (IKT) 56 

VDI 9 

Volkswagen 30 

Vyva Fabrics 28 

Wolf Oil Corporation 30 

WWF 7 

WWK Münster 53 

Xiamen Chagsu Industries 23,54 

Xinjiang Blue Ridge Tunhe Polyester 54 

Yoloha 46 

Zeijiang Hisun Biomaterials 55 

plastic or "no plastic" - 

that's the question 

Biocompatability of PHA 

FDCA and PEF 

Feedstocks, different 

generations 

Chemical recycling 

Trade-Fair 

Specials 

Chinaplas Preview 

Chinaplas Review 

K'2022 Preview 

K'2022 Review 

Subject to changes 


SMART 

SOLUTIONS 

FOR 

EVERYDAY 

PRODUCTS 

• Food contact grade 

• Odourless 

• Plasticizer free 

• Home and industrial 

compostable 

100% 

compostable 

(according to EN 13432)

WWW.MATERBI.COM 

as orange peel 

EcoComunicazione.it 

r1_01.2020

issue 01/2022

Create successful ePaper yourself

Delete template?

Save as template?