The Society of the Plastics Industry Inc. wants to lead the market through the sometimes confusing world of bioplastics.
With that in mind, Washington-based SPI has created the “Bioplastics Industry Overview Guide,” a 26-page digital publication that, according to SPI officials, “fills the void for a comprehensive encapsulation of this relatively new but fast-growing market.”
The guide intends to provide readers with:
* Information about trends and challenges.
* Similarities and differences of different bioplastics.
* Applications and uses for the newer materials.
* Companies operating in the bioplastics industry.
* Production estimates and projected market growth.
In a July 28 news release, SPI defined bioplastics as “plastics that are biodegradable, have bio-based content, or both.”
Bioplastics have been made for decades, but interest in them has increased in recent years because of concerns over the cost and potential limited supplies of petroleum-based feedstocks used to make most plastics.
Bioplastics were a major component of SPI-run NPE2009, held June 22-26 in Chicago.
SPI noted in the release that bioplastics are used in packaging, consumer goods, clothing, furnishings, and home and garden applications.
“As bioplastics continue to make inroads into new markets, the business world is taking notice,” SPI President and CEO Bill Carteaux said in the release.
“The desire to learn more about their properties, applications and potential for growth are at an all-time high,” he added.
The guide estimates the global bioplastics market at 570 million pounds and adds that the market is on pace to reach 1.2 billion pounds in 2012 — an annual growth rate of almost 18 percent.
SPI recently formed a Bioplastics Council to promote bioplastics development.
The council's six founding members include:
* Materials firm Arkema Inc. of Philadelphia.
* Chemical giant BASF Corp. of Florham Park, N.J.
* Bioplastics maker Cereplast Inc. of Hawthorne, Calif.
* PLA maker NatureWorks LLC of Minnetonka, Minn.
* Chemicals conglomerate DuPont Co. of Wilmington, Del.
* Telles of Lowell, Mass., the joint venture between Metabolix Inc. of Cambridge, Mass., and Archer Daniels Midland Co. of Decatur, Ill.
The council eventually will have seven members, SPI said.
Copyright 2009 Crain Communications Inc. All Rights Reserved.