Agricultural residue packaging wins Bio-based Material of the Year 2017
Packaging materials based on upcycled agricultural residues created by German company BIO-LUTIONS have been named ‘Bio-based Material of the Year 2017’ at the 10th International Conference on Bio-Based Materials in Cologne, Germany.
The fibres created by BIO-LUTIONS use an innovative mechanical process that breaks down residual agricultural waste and converts it into nano self-binding natural fibres, banishing the energy-intensive process of cellulose extraction to the past.
The resulting material is then used to create recyclable packaging and tableware which, when no longer needed, decompose under normal conditions, can be used in biogas production, or can be recycled or burned with a minimal carbon footprint.
Finnish company Paptic, which entered a recyclable wood-based bio-plastic composite paper bag, and German company Phytowelt, which presented the first biotech raspberry fragrance, were awarded second and third place respectively.
The annual award is sponsored by industrial services and operations providers InfraServe GmbH and Co. Knapsack KG and supported by Novamont. The conference’s advisory board and experts from the nova-Institute had whittled down entries to the six-strong shortlist.
The top three were chosen by the 200 conference participants and revealed at the traditional end-of-conference gala dinner following a ten-minute presentation from each company.
Remaining finalists
The International Conference on Bio-based Materials brings together companies and experts working in the field of bio-based chemicals and materials to share best practice and to discuss developments in the sector.
The five remaining finalists were:
- Cooper Tires (US), which has created a tire made from natural rubber from the guayule plant;
- Hexpol TPE (Belgium), which presented an innovative thermoplastic elastomer (TPE) compound made from renewable materials such as plants and vegetable crops;
- Paptic (Finland) submitted a bio-plastic paper composite which is biodegradable and twice as durable as normal paper, as well as 30 per cent lighter;
- Patagonia (US) created a Yulex R3 wetsuit made from natural Hevea rubber instead of the non-renewable and energy-intensive polymer neoprene; and
- Phytowelt GreenTechnologies (Germany) produced a raspberry fragrance which only contains the enantiomer ®-alpha-Ionone, giving the fragrance an intensive and natural flavour.
More information about the ‘Bio-based Material of the Year’ award can be found on the International Conference on Bio-based Materials website.
