The bioeconomy era: Introducing “the biggest disrupter of all”
By Paul Foulkes-Arellano, circularity educator at Circuthon Consulting
Circularity educator Paul Foulkes-Arellano, founder of Circuthon Consulting, believes a paradigm shift is emerging in the packaging sector: the bioeconomy. In the first of a three-part Insider View series, he explains how companies are moving away from harmful chemical materials such as plastics toward benign, bio-based solutions.


PACKAGING & TECHNOLOGY NEWS
Packaging Innovations 2023: Are plastics struggling to sell in a “post-LCA world”?
21 Feb 2023 --- At this year’s Packaging Innovations trade show in Birmingham, UK, fewer paper and cardboard-based companies were present than in previous years. Plastics manufacturers, however, were on full display. We... Read More
PACKAGING & TECHNOLOGY NEWS
ECBPI warns of €2B annual cost of plastic contaminated biowaste, calls on EU for systematic change
21 Dec 2022 --- The European Circular Bioeconomy Policy Initiative (ECBPI) is flagging a looming annual cost of up to €2 billion (US$2.13 billion) from plastic contamination in biowaste. ECBPI is therefore urging the... Read More
PACKAGING & TECHNOLOGY NEWS
The future of plastics: Biomass use critical to emissions reductions, find researchers
12 Dec 2022 --- Researchers at the University of Utrecht, Netherlands, have released an analysis projecting that CO2 emissions from the plastics sector will likely more than triple by the year 2100. The study offers three key... Read More
PACKAGING & TECHNOLOGY NEWS
Tree-free fibers: Could agro-waste divert a water crisis in the pulp and paper industry?
18 Jul 2022 --- As packaging manufacturers around the world rapidly move away from the use of virgin plastics, the demand for fiber-based solutions is booming. However, industry associations, producers and consumers could be... Read More
PACKAGING & TECHNOLOGY NEWS
European Bioeconomy Alliance slams EU’s methodology for fossil-fuel versus bioplastic LCAs
01 Dec 2021 --- The European Bioeconomy Alliance has criticized the EU’s methodology for Life Cycle Assessments (LCAs) comparing bio-based with conventional plastics, labeling it “not fit for purpose” and... Read More

Paul Foulkes-Arellano: The biological packaging paradigm
24 Jan 2023 --- In this exclusive interview with PackagingInsights, Paul Foulkes-Arellano discusses how a paradigm shift in the packaging sector could be coming in the next decades. Harmful chemicals could be replaced by benign biological solutions across the value chain, he explains, and we look at the hurdles the industry will face to achieve these advances.