AIMPLAS, the Plastics Technology Centre, will hold the seventh edition of its International Seminar on Biopolymers and Sustainable Composites on 4 and 5 March 2020. This seminar is aimed at raw material suppliers, processing companies, machinery manufacturers, end users, companies in plastic waste management and treatment, public administrations (regarding environmental policies), research centres, universities and public research bodies.

Various topics will be discussed at this long-standing seminar, which is highly regarded within the sector. These include trends in biodegradable plastic materials and plastic materials obtained from renewable sources; innovations in biotechnology and the sustainable waste recovery options offered by these materials; and developments in standardization, certification and life cycle assessment (LCA). Attendees will also hear success stories from leading companies.

In a context of new regulations affecting these materials and heightened consumer interest in buying eco-friendly products, this meeting will encourage discussion of the challenges and opportunities for bioplastics and sustainable composites. To this end, over 20 speakers will talk about key topics in seven sessions during the two-day seminar. 

More than 20 talks
The event will begin with a session on Bioplastics and Bioeconomics, in which representatives from the European Commission, European Bioplastics, Spanish Association of Compostable and Biodegradable Plastics (ASOBIOCOM) and AIMPLAS will discuss the current scenario, market data and trends, and national and European policies.

In the second session, the Catalan Waste Agency will discuss the role of bioplastics in waste management, DTU will address the optimization of bioproducts with LCA, and OWS and TÜV Austria Iberia will talk about certification and eco-labelling as an opportunity for companies to provide information about the quality of their biodegradable products. 

After the coffee break, a workshop will be held on the PERCAL project, which will present a solution for the organic part of household waste by transforming it into a source of new chemical products of great interest to industry. 

In the next session, manufacturers of raw materials such as Fkur, Neste and Kuraray will present their latest developments. The sessions on 4 March will end with a success story roundtable made up of companies from the packaging and automotive industries, including Ecoplas, Total Corbion and Covestro.

Biotechnology for more sustainable plastics
On 5 March, the sessions will begin with a panel discussion with experts from Carbiolice, CSIC and AIMPLAS, who will talk about biotechnology and, more specifically, the role of enzymes in biodegradation processes. The companies Biotrend, Novamont and Biópolis will then discuss biorefineries and the sustainable production of biopolymers through microorganisms. After a break for lunch, a workshop will be held on the DAFIA project, which does research on recovering municipal solid waste and organic waste from the fishing industry to obtain new high value-added products and additives such as flame retardants, barrier packaging and edible coatings that extend the shelf life of fish, as well as chemical substances to produce new plastics from renewable resources. 

The seminar will end with a success story roundtable made up of the companies TIPA-CORP, Plásticos Romero and Leistritz. 

As in previous editions, the seminar will have an exhibition area where speakers and sponsors can display their innovations. Coffee breaks will also take place in this area, making it a fantastic networking opportunity. 

For more information, click here.