Page 68 - Plastics News July 2025
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BUSINESS NEWS
technology with various commercial bioplastics suitable for manufacturing packaging and plastic
to produce these flexible biodegradable and/ products that are banned under the SUP direc-
or compostable films. It has also developed new tive. However, these materials must have the ap-
formulations of natural polymers, such as poly- propriate characteristics to be processed using
saccharides and animal and plant proteins, to conventional packaging manufacturing technol-
study the modification of their mechanical and ogies, such as extrusion processing, and must
barrier properties when processed through non- also meet the necessary requirements to pre-
oriented sheet extrusion and MDO extrusion. serve the products they contain.”
These naturally sourced materials may come The BIOPROCESS project is part of the 2024
from algae, corn or potato starch, gelatins, or call for aid aimed at technology centers in the
proteins, and in many cases are by-products of Valencian Community for R&D projects in col-
various industries, adding value to these low-cost laboration with companies, promoted by the
materials and making them good candidates for Valencian Institute of Competitiveness and In-
use in sustainable packaging applications. novation (IVACE+i), with funding from the Euro-
pean Union’s European Regional Development
As Rosa González, lead researcher of the Pack- Fund (ERDF) under the 2021–2027 Operational
aging Cluster at Aimplas, emphasized, “The use Program.
of chemically unmodified natural polymers is
gaining ground in these applications, as they are Source – RECYCLING magazine
FTA fuel and China caution: Piyush Goyal
eyes $870 bn export ambition for India
espite mounting global uncertainties,
Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush
DGoyal remains optimistic about India
achieving record-breaking exports this fiscal
year. Goyal outlined a robust vision backed by
strategic free trade agreements (FTAs), target-
ed investments, and focused growth in key sec-
tors such as electronics, engineering, and phar-
maceuticals.
India's total exports surged to an all-time high
of $825 billion in 2024–25, registering over
6% growth with a compound annual growth
Union Minister Piyush Goyal rate (CAGR) of 5.8% over the last decade. From
68 PLASTICS NEWS July 2025
