The Bioplastics Council, a special interest group of SPI: The Plastics Industry Trade Association, today announced its agenda of activities for 2013, as well as the volunteer leaders who will serve the council as new chair and vice chair.
“2012 was another successful year for the Bioplastics Council. I’d like to thank the past chair, Edwin Tam of Teknor Apex, for leading our efforts. In 2012 the Council issued a new Bioplastics Industry Overview Guide, launched the quarterly SPI Bioplastics Connect newsletter, led the Business of Bioplastics educational program at NPE2012 and strengthened its relationships with a range of organizations including the U.S. Department of Agriculture,” said John Moisson, president of Jamplast Inc. (Ellisville, Mo.), who was recently appointed the Council’s 2013 chair. “In 2013 we look to build on the Council’s momentum with an exciting slate of activities over the coming year. Our multi-year roadmap is designed to continue to strengthen the Council’s position as the recognized expert and the voice of North American bioplastics industry.”
As vice chair, Paul Cannon, Vice President of Marketing and Sales at Ecospan Inc. (Greenbrae, Calif.), will join Moisson in steering the Council’s 2013 efforts.
U.S. demand for bioplastics -- plastics that are biodegradable, have biobased content, or both-- is forecasted to grow at a 20 percent annual pace through 2016, according to Moisson. SPI's member companies represent the entire plastics industry supply chain, including processors, machinery and equipment manufacturers and raw materials suppliers. Currently, the members of the group are BASF Corporation, DuPont, Ecospan, Jamplast, Metabolix, NatureWorks LLC, Nypro Inc., PolyOne Corporation, Teknor Apex and UL.
In order to further its mission to promote the growth of the bioplastics industry, the Bioplastics Council has set forth an agenda to meet the following key objectives in 2013:
• Amplify industry and stakeholder education efforts including the release of multiple guidance documents addressing critical issues such as degradable additives and the land use debate.
• Increase exposure and visibility of the Council by providing educational programming at trade shows and conferences, including the 2013 Biopolymers Symposium June 10-12 in Chicago, IL.
• Launching a new bioplastics awards program to recognize industry innovation.
• Provide bioplastics leadership, guidance and support to federal government agencies and legislators working on “bio” related issues.
Learn more about the group at http://www.bioplasticscouncil.org/.
