studies and reports
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US Federal Agencies Release Framework for Advancing the Bioeconomy
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The federal Biomass Research and Development (BR&D) Board recently launched a multi-agency strategy to accelerate innovative technologies that harness the nation’s biomass resources for affordable biofuels, bioproducts, and biopower. The Bioeconomy Initiative: Implementation Framework was developed by the B&RD Board – an interagency collaborative which is co-chaired by the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) and the…
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Nova Institute report: 2018 was a very good year for bio-based polymers
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Nova Institute released its latest Biopolymers Summary report for 2018 where Tecnon OrbiChem is a contributor. According to the report, the total 2018 biopolymers production volume reached 7.5 million tonnes – these are already 2% of the production volume of petrochemical polymers. The potential is much higher but is currently hampered by low oil prices and…
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VIDEOS: Defining bioplastics
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The Plastics Industry Association last year released a report on bioplastics trying to define what is the product about. In a survey PLASTICS conducted, the report noted that of 1,000 U.S. consumers in January 2018, 31% were still not familiar at all with bioplastics—defined as a type of plastic made from biobased materials like sugar…
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State of the Renewable Chemicals Industry
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Happy New Year! Tecnon OrbiChem’s first Biomaterials issue for 2019 just came out today and my special report for this month focuses on last year’s industry restructuring and project investment overview. My key takeaway for 2018 is that the renewable chemicals industry definitely continues to struggle especially when it comes to financing the commercialization phase…
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What do Brands Want? A Survey from Sustainability Consult
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Sustainability Consult presented at the recently-held World Bio Markets conference the results of its #WhatBrandsWant survey report, which was published late last year. The findings reveal brands’ growing commitment towards renewable materials and alternatives to fossil-based products. Half of the brands surveyed reportedly have already set targets for bio-based products. One quarter said bio-based content was…
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Renewable chemicals commercialization to step up in 2018
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The year 2017 saw several announcements that point towards a more focused intent to construct demonstration and commercial manufacturing facilities for renewable chemicals. However, it was also a year of uncertainty with several established players and buyers, such as M&G, Abengoa, DowDuPont, Greencol, Toyota Tsusho, Coca-Cola, Solvay, and TerraVia, among others, either exiting their biobased…
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European plastics industry sets sustainable targets
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The trade organization, PlasticsEurope recently published its 2030 Voluntary Commitment, which contains a set of ambitious targets and initiatives by the European plastics industry towards a more sustainable economic solution. This commitment focuses on (1) increasing re-use and recycling, (2) preventing plastics leakage into the environment, and (3) accelerating resource efficiency. For the recycling targets,…
