Issue 03/2016

Editorial
dear
readers
Wow, it’s been a busy spring. It started with an outing to Orlando, Florida, where
NatureWorks was organizing its successful Innovation Takes Root conference for
the fifth time (pp 12). Among the many amazing people we met there was Jen Owen,
whose keynote speech left an indelible stamp on everyone fortunate enough
to be sitting in the audience. Impressive and heart-warming, the story of how
Jen and her husband Ivan are making a difference to the lives of disabled
children around the world is not to be missed. Read all about it in our cover
story on page 14.
Later that month, I was travelling again, this time to Shanghai for Chinaplas,
where again exhibiting bioplastics companies were displaying their latest
developments in a specially dedicated Bioplastics Zone (p 24). The good
news? While a number of oxo-products were still on offer, my impression
was that the number of companies active in this area is decreasing.
A third trip took me to Nijmegen in the Netherlands. Here I learned about
starch from side streams of the potato industry and its potential uses –
including bioplastics (p 36).
The two dedicated highlight topics in this issue are Injection Moulding
and Joining Bioplastics.
In the Basics section, we provide an update on PHA. A great deal has
happened since our last basics article on these fascinating and versatile
polyesters. Companies have disappeared and new ones have entered the
stage. And whereas in the past, we focused our attention on feedstocks
(besides starch, sugar or plant oils) such as tobacco, switchgrass or sewage, these
days it’s Methane and CO 2
that are being touted as the most promising raw materials
for PHA. Read Jan Ravenstijn’s article on page 38.
Just days before this issue went to print, we hosted the fourth edition of our PLA
World Congress in Munich (p 9), which was a very successful event from all perspectives.
And we are already focussing on the next big event this year: The K-Show in
October in Düsseldorf, Germany with our 3 rd Bioplastics Business Breakfast. The call
for papers is open. We are looking forward to your contributions.
We hope to see you at the K-Show this autumn, or perhaps elsewhere even earlier,
and until then, enjoy the summer – and of course, have a great time reading
bioplastics MAGAZINE.
bioplastics MAGAZINE Vol. 11
ISSN 1862-5258
Jen Owen:
3D printed hands change
the world | 14
... is read in 92 countries
May/June
03 | 2016
Basics
PHA (update) | 38
Highlights
Injection Moulding | 16
Joining of Bioplastics | 34
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Sincerely yours
Michael Thielen
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bioplastics MAGAZINE [03/16] Vol. 11 3