PETpla.net Insider 04 / 2017

9 NEWS PET planet Insider Vol. 18 No. 04/17 www.petpla.net Bottle alliance to develop 100% bio-based bottles Danone and Nestlé Waters have joined forces with Origin Materials, a startup based in Sacramento, California, USA, to form the NaturALL Bottle Alli- ance. Together, the three partners aim to develop and launch at commercial scale a PET plastic bottle made from bio-based material, i.e. 100% sustainable and renew- able resources. The project uses biomass feedstocks, such as previously used card- board and sawdust, so it does not divert resources or land from food production for human or animal consumption. “Our goal is to establish a circular economy for packaging by sourcing sus- tainable materials and creating a second life for all plastics,” declared Frédéric Jouin, head of R&D for plastic materials at Danone. “We believe it’s possible to replace traditional fossil materials with bio- based packaging materials. By teaming up and bringing together our complementary expertise and resources, the Alliance can move faster in developing 100% renew- able and recyclable PET plastic at com- mercial scale.” Danone and Nestlé Waters are pro- viding expertise and teams, as well as financial support, to help Origin Materials make this technology available to the entire food and beverage industry in record time. This next-generation PET is intended to be as light in weight, transparent, recy- clable and protective of the product as virgin PET. The exclusive use of renewable feedstocks which do not divert resources or land from food production is the Alli- ance’s main focus area. The R&D will focus initially on cardboard, sawdust and wood chips but other biomass materials, such as rice hulls, straw and agricultural residue could be explored. “Current technology on the market makes it possible to have 30% bio-PET,” noted John Bissell, Chief Executive Officer of Origin Materials. “Our breakthrough technology aims to reach 100% bio-based bottles at commercial scale. With the help of our Alliance partners, Origin Materials will be able to scale up a technology which has already been proven at the pilot level.” The NaturALL Bottle Alliance partners consider that everyone should benefit from this new material, so the technology will be accessible for the entire beverage industry. This unique approach demonstrates the allies’ commitment to open innovation and sustainable business. Origin Materials has already produced samples of 80% bio-based PET in its pilot plant in Sacramento. Construction of a “pio- neer plant” will begin in 2017, with production of the first samples of 60+% bio-based PET to start in 2018. The initial volume goal for this first step is to bring 5,000 metric tons of bio-based PET to the market. Thanks to their complementary skills and shared vision, the NaturALL BottleAlliance aims to develop the process for producing at least 75% bio-based PET plastic bottles at com- mercial scale as early as in 2020, scaling up to 95% in 2022. The partners will continue to conduct research to increase the level of bio-based content, with the objective of reaching 100%. www.danone.com www.nestle-waters.com www.originmaterials.com Chinaplas 2018 on the move After year-long evaluation and analysis, Adsale Exhibition Services Ltd. has decided that Chinaplas 2018 will move to a new venue – the National Exhibition and Convention Center (NECC) in Hongqiao district, Shanghai. Chinaplas 2018 is confirmed to take place at NECC from April 24-27. Growing hand in hand with the Chinese plastics industry, the trade show has kept on expanding in recent years, from 180,000m 2 of total exhibition area and 2,400+ exhibitors in 2011 to an estimated 250,000m 2 and 3,300+ exhibitors in 2017. “We really ran out of space in Shanghai New International Exhibition Center (SNIEC),” said Ada Leung, General Manager of Adsale. “Evaluation and analysis on moving to NECC began in early 2016, and considering the long term development of the show, we made the decision in the fourth quarter,” she explained. SNIEC had been a very good venue for Chinaplas, Ada said, but all the indoor halls were fully occupied in each edition in Shanghai since 2012. More and more outdoor tents and exhibition suites were built to cater for the space demand. That was not the most convenient solution for exhibitors and visitors, especially when the rain comes, Leung admitted. Show scale to reach 300,000m 2 Opened in 2015, NECC offers 400,000m 2 of indoor exhibi- tion space and 100,000m 2 of outdoor display areas. Despite a much bigger capacity, Leung said the expansion of Chinaplas 2018 will be done in a well-planned and controlled manner. The targeted exhibition space is 300,000m 2 . Exhibitors have already been informed of the news and many of them were excited about the move, Leung said, noting that prolonged move-in and move-out time will be provided to help exhibitors adapt to the new venue. Chinaplas will continue to alternate between Guangzhou and Shanghai. This year, the show will take place from May 16-19 in Guangzhou, China. www.adsalecprj.com