Bioplastics represent an opportunity for the chemicals and materials industry to take a major step forward in sustainability and environmental stewardship.

While there is much excitement, there is much confusion. Where will the growth be: biosourced, biodegradable, new-to-the-world, drop-ins, and how rapid in each case? Will new materials fit into or be separate from the existing petrochemical value chain, and how will they interface with each other? Are biosourced materials really better for the environment? Will consumers and brand owners pay more for bioplastics, or will economics be the ultimate driver? What are the economic realities when comparing bio-based and petro-derived plastics? How much of an impact will next generation biomass have on bioplastics economics? How will the development of biomass-to-biorefinery infrastructure evolve? Which emerging applications for bioplastics look especially promising?

This program is intended to address these and other questions confronting the bioplastics value chain.

What sets this program apart are the following new sessions not found in competitive bioplastics-related programs

• BRAND OWNER & CONSUMER ATTITUDES TOWARDS BIOPLASTICS
• ROAD MAP FOR DROP-INS AND STRATEGIES FOR IMPLEMENTATION
• OPPORTUNITIES FOR BIOPLASTICS IN FLEXIBLE PACKAGING
• BUILDING & CONSTRUCTION APPLICATIONS FOR BIOPLASTICS
• COMPARATIVE ECONOMICS OF BIOBASED VERSUS PETRO-DERIVED PLASTICS