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Biopolymers march on

Biopolymers have finally begun to establish themselves as viable players in packaging.

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You want a good yardstick by which to measure their growth? Try interpack. At the 2008 edition of this packaging extravaganza, held every three years in Dusseldorf, Germany, 40 exhibitors occupied the biopolymers pavilion. That’s a pretty steep jump from the 21 exhibitors that were in the pavilion at interpack 2005. I was impressed this year not only by the ingenuity on display, but also by clear signs that the developers behind the new offerings are paying attention to real-world marketplace demands.

To be sure, questions about biopolymers remain, and a reasonable list would probably include these:

• Can we keep a well-established and reasonably successful PET recycling system from being contaminated by bottles made of biopolymers?

• What about all the fuel needed to plant, harvest, and transport the crops from which many biopolymers are derived?

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