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The chemical
and plastics industries have already invested heavily in these
new technologies, and today, thanks to the fast pace of technological
progress, bioplastics are on the verge of broad market introduction.
Indeed, they are already finding broad application in packaging,
electronics, automobiles and agriculture. Globally the number
of manufacturers of bioplastic products is showing a strong upward
trend, and more competition is expected to give further momentum
to the development of the sector.
This increasing interest is due in part to increasingly stringent regulatory
environment driving the use of renewables, and also to the improved functionality
of bioplastics and their growing market share, as well as reductions in price
differentials between materials made of renewable raw materials and conventional
materials. With improved manufacturing processes and cost-competitiveness, the
long-term perspectives for bioplastics are promising.
Technical developments have allowed bioplastic materials to match conventional
petroleum-based products in terms of quality and functionality, partly due to
introduction of innovative combinations of biomaterials (e.g. multi-layered films)
to create tailor-made functional characteristics that could for example improve
and finetune the barrier characteristics of packaging materials.
Clearly, bioplastics hold great promise for implementing the principles of sustainable
development and contributing towards achieving the MDGs. In order to accelerate
this development it is important that awareness and commitment be generated at
national and global levels, and that the industry can grow in order to remain
competitive and sustainable. A supportive policy environment, implementation
of standards, technology transfer and strategic partnerships all need to have
common alignment and goals to ensure long term viability of the industry. Globally
recognized speakers at InnoBioPlast 2006 will address these issues at national,
regional and global levels.
 Programme and Abstracts |
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