Biopolymers Symposium 2010

IntertechPira, a division of Pira International, is organising the Biopolymers Symposium 2010. The event will take place in Denver, Colorado in October. The symposium is recommended to manufacturers, brand owners, end users, innovators and policy makers. It will cover a wide range of subjects, including the following:

Pioneering work on green policy in California
Identification of non-food sources of raw material for resin production
Market overviews from the US and Europe
Regulation, labeling and marketing
End of life management options
Technological innovation in packaging and beyond

Of particular interest to me are the sessions related to non-food sources of raw material for resin production and end of life management options. These areas could become a restraint in market growth due to negative public perceptions. Biopolymers appeal is based on environmental benefits. For biopolymers to continue growth in the medium term, the research into durable applications is a must too, as disposable applications are of little added value and not sustainable in the long term, regardless of the material used to manufacture them.

The sessions will be 20 minutes long, with 10 minutes for questions after each session. Here is a list of the diferent sessions, together with the person that will chair them:

California’s Initiatives Leading the Way in Green Chemistry and Biopolymer Use; Maureen Gorsen, Partner, Alston & Bird LLP
Consumer Applications; Derek Campbell, Manager of Footwear Future Concepts, Brooks Sports
Technology Developments; Dr. Ramani Narayan, University Distinguished Professor, Michigan State University Department of Chemical Engineering & Materials Science
Regulations and Metrics; Eric Koester, Attorney, Cooley Godward Kronish LLP
Waste Stream, Recycling and End of Life; John Williams, Polymers & Materials Manager, National Non Food Crops Centre , York
Lessons from Europe; Andy Sweetman, Chairman of the Board, European Bioplastics
Developments on Existing and Emerging Feedstock’s; Jim Kleinschmit, Director of Rural Communities Program, Institute for Agriculture and Trade Policy
Green Marketing and Eco-labels; Dr. Anastasia O’Rourke, Co-Founder, Big Room Inc .
Developments in Packaging Applications; Scott A. Vitters, Global Director, Sustainable Packaging, The Coca-Cola Company
Key Players in Bio-polyesters; Dr. Paul Fowler, Director, Welsh Institute for Natural Resources, Bangor Universit y
Innovations in Materials; Mark Bünger, Research Director, Lux Research
US Market Overview; Corey Linden, Research Scientist, Battelle
Facilitating Markets for Bio-based Materials; Kate Lewis, USDA BIOPREFERRED

In the list of speakers, there are some important producers of polymers, like DSM, BASF or Arkema, with whom we’ve already discussed their range of renewables and that will be talking about the following:

New and “greener” Plexiglas® acrylic polymers
High performance hybrid thermoplastics with high bio-based content
Performance enhancing additives for renewable thermoplastics

Some of the main bioplastic producers, i.e. FKUR, Telles, NatureWorks or Novamont will also speak, together with institutional and university speakers as well as end-users like The Coca-Cola Company, Pepsico, Intel and Chrysler Group. You can also check the figure below for the distribution of attendees per company type in the last edition of the Symposium.