Bioplastics sector predicts strong growth ahead

Global bioplastics production will grow more than ten-fold to two million tonnes by 2011, industry representatives predicted at an annual conference of EU bioplastics manufacturers in Berlin last week.  One delegate urged the European commission to give industrial and energy use of biomass equal status.  A commission official stressed bioplastics production requires a significantly smaller share of agricultural land than energy crops (EED 07/05/08).  Around 0.05 per cent of EU agricultural land is thought to be used for bioplastics production.  See press release and conference homepage.