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Bioplastics
"Bioplastics in Packaging": Joint stand at interpack 2008
Bioplastics and bio packaging are “on the advance” worldwide and they are also centre stage at a large joint presentation arranged for the forthcoming interpack. Its organisers expect 30+ companies to provide information on the latest developments, innovations and possibilities in the bioplastics industry on approx. 1,000 m² of exhibition space. This Special Show will be complemented with an infotainment support programme.
Bioplastics have most recently undergone a vehement development on international markets: companies are expanding their production capacities and expect demand to continuously rise over the next few years. The advances in the bioplastics industries will also play a prominent role during interpack PROCESSES AND PACKAGING 2008: there firms representing all stages of the value chain will showcase their “state of the art” sharing the “Bioplastics in Packaging” stand – a joint stand organised by the Manufacturers’ Association European Bioplastics in cooperation with Messe Düsseldorf GmbH. Raw materials, products, processes and machinery for bioplastics engineering will be exhibited there on about 1,000 m² of exhibition space. This means the new exhibition held next year will occupy three times the area of the “Innovationparc Bioplastic in Packaging” installed in 2005.
The companies’ ranges on show will be complemented by an exciting programme of supporting events featuring panel discussions and presentations. The organisers will invite representatives from political, business circles and the media to discuss bioplastics against the background of sustainable development, climate change and scarce resources. The accompanying programme will provide infotainment – aiming to raise awareness for bioplastics worldwide. After all, bio-based and biodegradable plastics have experienced a strong upswing over the past few years above all in the field of bioplastic packaging applications.
“IK Industrievereinigung Kunststoffverpackungen e.V.” – the Association of German Plastics Packaging Manufacturer – will represent the producers of bioplastics packaging. Here bioplastics are considered a forward-looking alternative to fossil-based plastics. They expand the range of raw materials, offer new property profiles and create new business opportunities for companies. This is also why IK supports the installation of additional capacity as well as all political activities designed to promote the development of bioplastics. In the opinion of the IK this support, however, should not entail a discrimination against traditional plastics and the packaging produced of it, respectively.
Bioplastics have long since found attractive applications. Fruit and vegetable, for example, is packaged in water-vapour permeable PLA film. Even where the biodegradability of packaging counts, bioplastics are now increasingly used: e.g. as biodegradable waste bags for organic waste or as agricultural films for farmers, which can be ploughed under after use. Many new products are currently under development and the trend towards bioplastics is gaining more and more ground worldwide.
Bioplastics are also up-and-coming materials on an international scale: in England and Italy far more degradable packaging is used than in Germany, for example, where still only about 1% of all plastic packaging is biodegradable. In Asia Japan is the pioneer for biopackaging and in the USA environmentally friendly polymer materials are also increasingly in evidence. According to Steven Mojo, General Manager of “The Biodegradable Products Institute” in New York City, there are many products currently on the market that consist of a combination of fossil and renewable raw materials. He adds that most recent announcements saying that in the USA and Brazil some firms are capable of producing traditional polyethylene from renewable raw materials (cane sugar and ethanol) are telegraphing exciting new developments in bioplastics. The key element in the discussion about the differences between the various biopolymers, Mojo says, is to develop an understanding for their different properties and matching applications – just like the differences between PE, PET, PP and PVC. There are many different types of granulates, he continues to explain, and they have specific benefits for various applications. And this is the big challenge the processing industry faces: understanding which of the new granulates fulfil the specified job – and, hence, create true added value for the customer.
Messe Düsseldorf
