9 Maio de 2005

Great Interest in Bioplastics at Interpack 2005

The inaugural special exhibition "Bioplastics in Packaging" proved to be a major drawcard at the leading international trade fair, interpack 2005. The exhibition was organized by the Düsseldorf Exhibition Centre in conjunction with the industry association IBAW. More than 10,000 trade visitors came to gather information on bioplastics and packaging produced from bioplastics. The exhibitors from Europe, the USA and Japan had a broad range of products on display, including food packaging used in European supermarkets.

"Bioplastics have a great future ahead of them", stated Harald Kaeb, IBAW Chairman, encapsulating the excellent mood of the exhibitors following the fair. Visitors were impressed by the variety and standard of perfomance of the products. In future, compostable packaging will be favoured by the German packaging legislation which will exempt them from the 'Green Dot' fees. Representatives from politics attending the fair spoke in favour of further measures to support market introduction of bioplastics.

As these products use renewable raw materials such as cornstarch, sugar or vegetable oil, they have a low environmental impact and not as easily affected by increases in oil prices as conventional plastics. High-ranking representatives from German and European agricultural associations regard the "high-tech products from the fields", as a new source of income for the farmers, and an opportunity to create a new image of agriculture. The International Biodegradable Polymers Association and Working Groups, IBAW, anticipates ever-increasing interest in bioplastics.

2668 exhibitors from 106 countries were represented at interpack 2005, the 17th International Fair for packaging machinery, packaging, and confectionery machinery. A record 176,000 visitors attended this international leading fair for packaging technology, which was held 21 to 27 April 2005 in Düsseldorf.

The IBAW is an international branch association for the promotion of innovation in bioplastics and biodegradable materials. The association is supported by companies from the agricultural, chemical and plastics industries, scientific institutes and innovative users.

Source: IBAW