Global Bioplastics Award 2015
Next 5th November will be held in Berlin the 10th European Bioplastics Conference, where Bioplastics Magazine will award the achievements, success and innovation in the field of bioplastics. There, a company will be awarded by having launched the most innovative product of the year made from bioplastics.
The judge will be composed by academics and members of the press and the industry from America, Europe and Asia and they will chose, among the presented products, a winner, who will be announced during the ceremony.
The five candidate companies this year are: A. Schulman (Castellón, Spain), Tetra Pak (Italy), MHG Meredia Holdings Group (USA), Mitsubishi Chemical Corporation (Japan) and Sharp (Japan) and Alki (France).
A. Schulman has developed a new compostable material for flexible packagings of cosmetic products. This new compound is an alternative to traditional materials, such as polyethylene. It is a reinforced biopolymers alloy obtained by reactive extrusion that contains PLA, PBAT, PHA and PBS. This new development has been made within the framework of a research project funded by the CDTI where other companies, such as Germaine de Capuccini, Petroplast and the alliance AINIA-AIMPLAS have participated.
The second candidate is Tetra Pak, who launches Tetra Rex® Bio-based, the first fully renewable package for liquid food. It is produced from bio-based plastic (LDPE and HDPE) derived entirely from sugarcane; and FSC certified paperboard. It is fully renewable, fully recyclable and traceable to source. It has been already used in some countries that have positive references of it.
The third candidate is Meredia Holdings Group, who presents the first certified biodegradable freshwater fishing lure by partnering Bill Lewis Lures, maker of Rat-L-Trap™. It is made of PHA bioplastic and it basically reduces the plastic pollution amount.
Mitsubishi Chemical Corporation and Sharp is the fourth candidate. It is launching a crack resistant bio-based plastic smartphone screen. Sharp Corporation has chosen Mitsubishi Chemical’s bio-based plastic DURABIO™ to be the material which the new smartphone AQUOS CRYSTAL 2 is made of. A bio-based plastic has never been used before; it also provides a solution to cracking, has a great transparency and low optical distortion.
Finally, Alki, presents Kuskoa Bi, the first chair made from bioplastics in the market. The bio-based polymer based in PLA from plant-based renewable sources (corn starch, natural fibres, sugarcane, etc.) is fully recyclable and its production has significant advantages related to the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions. The shape of the chair respects the original lines of the back.