Bioplastics Magazine - Polymedia Publisher GmbH magazines

Francesco Degli Innocenti, Ecology of Products Director, Novamont, Italy

It is well-known that the properties of plastics are not inherent in the polymer itself, but that these are obtained through the use of functional additives. Nucleating agents, plasticizers, flame-retardants, colorants, anti-statics, stabilizers are all examples of additives that are indispensable in today’s materials. However, in many cases, biobased versions of these additives are unavailable. This makes it almost impossible to produce 100 % biobased products. To be able to do so, it

This section highlights recently granted patents that are relevant to the specific theme/focus of the bioplastics MAGAZINE issue. The information offered is intended to acquaint the reader with a sampling of know-how being developed to enable growth of the bioplastics markets.

Founded in 1992, BIOTEC (Emmerich, Germany) is one of the oldest and most experienced companies worldwide in the area of compostable and biodegradable plastics. Looking back at nearly 30 years of history in this field, it is remarkable how some trends and focus points seem to change, whereas - even after almost 3 decades - others remain stubbornly the same.