Project Overview

The use of bioplastics enables the opportunity to save fossil resources as well as to reduce the emissions of gases relevant for the climate. But are bioplastics during production, utilization and end-of-life really more sustainable than their fossil competitors and which challenges result e.g. for the sustainability assessment? Which ecological potential exists due to cascade use? How does the population judge the use of bioplastics and do they know what bioplastics are and can? Which information materials are useful, if the communication of the existence of bioproducts to the consumer is in the focus?  These and further questions are in the focus of the new research platform. The work will be conducted in a broad consortium of specialists and examine the aspects of ecological, socio-economic sustainability of bioplastics as well as the opportunities and obstacles which occur during the communication and commercialisation of these materials.

The course of the project BiNa is orientated on 6 project phases.

Within the framework of the research platform the aim is on a close exchange with industry, science, population and politics, to improve the level of information of the different stakeholder for bioplastics. The integration of industry (cooperating industry partner are at the moment FKuR Kunststoff GmbH, Möbius+Ruppert KG and memo AG) enables an evaluation of the developed strategies and methods in step with actual practice. The research platform is coordinated by Prof. Dr.-Ing. Hans-Josef Endres head of the IfBB – Institute for Bioplastics and Biocomposites of the Hochschule Hannover (HsH). B.A.U.M. e.V. is responsible for the external project communication and the organisation of workshops and project events. Further involved partners on research level are: the division "Media, Information and Design" of the HsH with Prof. Dr. Wiebke Möhring, Fraunhofer Institute for Building Physics - Life Cycle Engineering Department with Dr.-Ing. Stefan Albrecht, the Chair of Marketing and Management of Biogenic Resources of University of Applied Sciences Weihenstephan-Triesdorf with Prof. Dr. Klaus Menrad and the Institute for Machine Tools and Production Technology (IWF) of the Technical University of Braunschweig with Prof. Dr.-Ing. Christoph Hermann. BiNa is accompanied by an advisory board with EuropeanBioplastics e.V. and WWF Deutschland. The project is part of the research priority “social-ecological research” within the funding initiative “sustainable economy” of the BMBF.

The focus of BiNa is set on bioplastics and bioplastic products, but also upstream and downstream processes are considered.