Big turnout for 10th European Bioplastics Conference

The 10th European Bioplastics Conference 2015 in Berlin attracted more than 350 participants from around 200 companies and 29 countries to connect and catch up on the latest developments, issues, debates, and trends in the bioplastics industry in Europe. A further 24 companies showcased a great diversity of the latest products, materials, and applications at the exhibition alongside the conference.

Opening the 10th anniversary edition of the European Bioplastics Conference, François de Bie, Chairman of European Bioplastics (EUBP), highlighted the achievements and outstanding developments of the bioplastics industry over the past decade as one of the most innovative and exciting sectors of the European bioeconomy: “Ten years ago, bioplastics was still a buzzword. Today, my son Olivier is learning about the benefits of biobased products in highschool. The understanding and awareness of our impact on the environment is clearly growing and bioplastics are at the centre of this change,” said de Bie.

Hasso von Pogrell, Managing Director of EUBP said that the positive trend of the past ten years continued. According to latest market data, he said, the global bioplastics production capacity is predicted to grow by more than 350 percent in the mid-term, from around 1.7 million tonnes in 2014 to approximately 7.8 million tonnes in 2019. This growth will be subjected to further commitments and initiatives to become more with companies such as IKEA promising that by 2020 100 percent of its plastics will be made from renewable and recycled sources. Mitsubishi Chemicals Corp. and Sharp were awarded the 10th Annual Bioplastics Award for the development of the front panel of Sharp’s new smartphone made from Mitsubishi’s biobased engineering plastic DURABIO. It marks the first time a biobased plastic has ever been used on the front panel of any smartphone instead of glass, ceasing the problem of cracking while increasing durability and optical properties. Find more information about the Bioplastics Award, the winner, and finalists at www.bioplasticsmagazine.com.