People Carmen Michels
People Carmen Michels Co-Managing Director of FKuR In June, the bioplastics specialist, FKuR Kunststoff GmbH (Willich, Germany), celebrated its 10th anniversary. Dr. Edmund Dolfen, Managing Director, used the occasion to expand the responsibility of the family business. As of 1 st July 2013, Carmen Michels will be co-managing the company together with Edmund Dolfen. She already had a senior position in the company since 2010 and the focus of her tasks will remain the management of the technology & production department. “With the appointment of Mrs. Michels as Co-Managing Director, FKuR puts more emphasis on first-class product development along with human and motivational leadership qualities that increasingly become the key factors to success” explained Dr. Dolfen in regard to the expansion of the management. Dolfen will delegate the daily operations to the well-structured management team and focus his time on more strategic decisions and alliances. “I look forward to this challenging task, and will utilize all my experience and passion, now also as Co-Managing Director for the company, in order to further expand our position as a leading bioplastics specialist” said Michels. MT www.fkur.com Metabolix appoints Johan van Walsem Chief Operating Officer Metabolix, Inc (Cambridge, Massachusetts, USA) announced that Johan van Walsem has been promoted to the position of Chief Operating Officer (COO). In this newly created role, Mr. van Walsem will be responsible for the management of the Company’s biopolymers, biobased chemicals and crops businesses, as well as the key functional areas that enable these businesses to perform. He will continue to report to Metabolix President and Chief Executive Officer, Richard P. Eno. “We are excited to appoint Johan to the position of COO of Metabolix, where he has taken on increasing levels of responsibility throughout his tenure,” said Mr. Eno. “He has led critical functions across each of our three business platforms: biopolymers, biobased chemicals and crops, and as a result, will be able to very effectively integrate our functional expertise for maximum commercial impact. “During the past 16 months, we have redefined our biopolymer commercial strategy around high-value markets, set up global supply chains for biopolymers, built the initial customer base and advanced our manufacturing technology to lower overall costs,” Mr. Eno said. “The creation of the chief operating officer role allows for clear focus on the execution of these businesses. I look forward to working together with Johan to drive further growth in the coming years.” MT www.metabolix.com Gunter Pauli appointed chairman of Novamont The Board of Directors of Novamont SpA (Novara, Italy) has appointed Gunter Pauli Chairman of the Company by unanimous decision. An entrepreneur, economist and author, Gunter Pauli is known universally as the theorist behind the Blue Economy, a sustainable economy developed on the logics of nature, a perfectly integrated system without waste or dissipation of resources, in which everyone plays a part, and where the waste of some become the raw materials of others, the community and local region are the heartbeat of everything and creativity and innovation the founding principles of development. www.novamont.com “Pauli’s is an enlightened vision harmonising perfectly with the philosophy which has always inspired Novamont. We are certain that his wisdom and far-sightedness will be a great boost to the Company in its future developments and consolidate our leadership in the Bioeconomy sector. We expect an important contribution from Gunter in enhancing our wealth of knowledge in support of Novamont’s growth”, says Catia Bastioli, Novamont’s CEO MT 8 bioplastics MAGAZINE [04/13] Vol. 8
News European Bioplastics elected new Board On 16 May 2013, the General Assembly of the industry association European Bioplastics elected a new Board to represent the association and its members for the coming two years. François de Bie (Corbion Purac) was elected as Chairman. Mariagiovanna Vetere (NatureWorks) and Stefano Facco (Novamont) are Vice-Chairpersons. At the beginning of his term as Chairman of European Bioplastics François de Bie says: “Bioplastics will help make this world a more sustainable place for now and for our future generations. In our society many consumers, brand owners and converters are not yet aware of the benefits of bioplastics. In the coming years, European Bioplastics will focus on changing this. Today we are at the brink of the bioplastics revolution and a lot of work still needs to be done.“ “We will continue covering the complete value chain from renewable raw materials to end-of-life options with our activities,” Hasso von Pogrell said to bioplastics MAGAZINE. “We will do this, among other measures, by strengthening our visibility in Brussels. Furthermore, in order to enforce a bioplastics-friendly legal environment, we will, for example get involved as much as possible in the European Commission’s activities to develop specific Environmental Footprint Rules (so called Product Environmental Footprint Category Rules (PEFCRS). Further members of the Board are: Jürgen Keck (BASF), Peter Brunk (Biotec), Rainer Schweda (Braskem), and Johnny Pallot (Roquette). With an annual growth rate of more than 20%, the biopolastics industry is developing dynamically in a number of application fields. Already today, bioplastic materials and products can be found in the packaging sector, in the toys and textile industry, in automotive or consumer electronic applications and in agriculture and horticulture. MT http://en.european-bioplastics.org European Bioplastics Board 2013 (from left: Johnny Pallot, Mariagiovanna Vetere, Jürgen Keck, François de Bie, Stefano Facco, Peter Brunk, Rainer Schweda) New, cost-effective process for PHA Researchers at the PSTS Parco Scientifico e Tecnologico della Sicilia, Catania, Italy, have developed a novel process for the production of biodegradable polymers. The PHA (polyhydroxyalkaonate) is being synthesized by the bacterium Pseudomonas corrugata. Significant cost advantage The main advantages are on the cost side. “While the production of conventional plastic costs about one US$ per kilogram and bioplastics derived from plant starch about five US$ per kilogram, the PHA can be produced for just 0.4 to 0.6 Dollars,“ explained project team member Marina Carruba. Another advantage is that because of its chemical and structural characteristics PHA can be combined with other materials such as paper or natural fibres. Sicilian entrepreneur Salvatore Torrisi, well-known internationally for his brand Oranfres, now wants to put into practice the patented process. Huge potential for development “I‘m willing to invest in the production of PHA products,“ says businessman Torrisi, who is also acting on the Board of the Technology Park. The PSTS, largely controlled by the state government of Sicily, has a great potential for development, especially as the activities carried out there were associated for several years with industrial objectives. According to the industry expert, Torrisi, all this is also supported by a wide network of universities, research centers and companies. The research project, which is being carried out in Catania, capital of the Italian province Sicily, has been funded with 3.6 million Euros from Pon Ricerca, a special fund of the Italian Ministry of Education (Source: pte20130225002 - pressetext.com). MT http://pstsicilia.it bioplastics MAGAZINE [04/13] Vol. 8 9
