UnitelmaSapienza, together with Novamont, is organising a national event aimed at presenting STAR-ProBio’s findings and recommendations. The event will take place on the 24th of September (from 9:30 to 13:00 CEST) at UnitelmaSapienza (with a limited number of participants) within the 2nd edition of the Bioeconomy Day, promoted by Cluster SPRING with Assobiotec-Federchimica.
Interesting initiative of the Biobridges project
The Biobridges project developed a consumer survey aimed at assessing consumer knowledge of bio-based products. With the results obtained, the project will design a set of recommendations, to be sent to all interested actors, on how to improve and increase consumer awareness. You can find the survey (in different languages) at the following link: https://www.biobridges-project.eu/survey-for-consumers-/.
Newsletter Issue 6 (Final Newsletter)
The STAR-ProBio final newsletter with main results and outputs has been published!
Click here to download the PDF version.
New STAR-ProBio publication “Metrics for quantifying the circularity of bioplastics: The case of bio-based and biodegradable mulch films”
Francesco Razza, Cristiana Briani, Tony Breton, Diego Marazza
Abstract
The concept of circularity and its quantification through the Material Circularity Indicator (MCI) is well established for traditional plastic products. In this paper a methodological approach for calculating the circularity of bio-based and biodegradable (BB) products is proposed and applied to BB mulch films. BB products are different from traditional products in as much as they are sourced and regenerated (recycled) not through technical cycles but the biological loop. The suggested method is an adaptation of the MCI where two major changes were made: (i) the mass of the bio-based component corresponds to the recycled material in input and (ii) the mass of the bio-based component leaving the system through composting or biodegradation in soil is accounted as recycled. The modified MCI supports the eco-design of innovative BB products and allows for the comparison of their circularity taking into account the biological source and the expected end of life process such as biodegradation. To demonstrate the adaptation, the method has been applied to BB mulch films. Results showed that the MCI of a biodegradable mulch film, characterized by an average bio-based feedstock content of 30% is 0.37 ± 0.04 in a 0–1 scale. For BB mulch film, the amount of bio-based feedstock is the most sensitive factor and controls linearly the value of the MCI.
Click here to read the full article.
New STAR-ProBio book “Transition Towards a Sustainable Biobased Economy” (RSC Publishing)
James Clark and Piergiuseppe Morone
About this book
Globally we are being confronted by the depletion of many natural resources as a result of unsustainable use and increasing global population. Although the debate on the bioeconomy has gained momentum in recent decades, the interest in certifications and standards for biobased products is still weak. This book aims to fill this gap by promoting a holistic approach, which covers environmental, social and economic sustainability aspects and pushes forward the development of a circular, biobased economy.
This book promotes the development of sustainability schemes (including standards, labels and certifications) for the assessment of biobased products, which are fundamental to the establishment of a cutting-edge sustainable bioeconomy. Chemical-related, globally relevant case studies are used throughout the book. The content covers a range of issues from upstream and downstream environmental, techno-economic and social assessment, to crosscutting issues such as indirect land use change (iLUC) and end-of-life options. The chapters included in this book will provide a comprehensive review of recent works on life cycle assessment (LCA), life cycle costing (LCC) and social life cycle assessment (s-LCA) methodologies.
An important resource for researchers, industrial professionals and policy makers involved in the bioeconomy.
Click here to read more.
The STAR-ProBio Final Workshop turns virtual
The STAR-ProBio project invites to its Final (virtual) Workshop “Assessing Sustainability of Bio-based Products: Where do we stand?”.
The workshop will take place on April 28th 2020 from 10:00 to 12:30 (Central European Time).
Registration is free, but subject to maximum availability of the conference platform. Please send an email to info@sqconsult.com indicating your name and affiliation.
Click here to download the agenda of the event.
ICT-BIOCHAIN & STAR-ProBio webinar – April 2nd (at 11:00 CET)
STAR-ProBio is co-organizing a joint webinar with the BBI JU project ICT-BIOCHAIN, a CSA aiming at promoting ICT, IoT and Industry 4.0 tools to enhance the efficiency of the biomass supply chain.
Luana Ladu (TUB) and Francesco Razza (Novamont) will attend the webinar and present the Integrated Assessment Tool (IAT), one of the STAR-ProBio final outputs.
You can register for free at this link: https://www.
New STAR-ProBio open access publication from TUB in “Sustainability” (Special Issue “Sustainability and Standardization”)
Bio-Based Products in the Automotive Industry: The Need for Ecolabels, Standards, and Regulations
Simone Wurster, Luana Ladu
Abstract
At the Hanover Fair in April 2018, the Bioconcept-Car was presented as a model for the future of sustainable mobility. Likewise, a car made of cellulose nanofiber was presented at the Tokyo Motor Show in 2019. Various additional automotive applications for bio-based materials have been developed, some of which are already in use in cars. However, supportive measures for stimulating their market acceptance are needed. Based on a mix of research methods, this article describes how ecolabels, sustainability standards, and regulations might support the market uptake of bio-based car components. In addition, comparison with three other types of bio-based products are provided. The article ends with suggestions for future market development activities.
Click here to read the full article.