"This alliance increases the significance of the forward-looking, international expert meeting by many times over", confirms Fuchsgruber. Since 1999, Messe Erfurt has been offering the topic of "renewable raw materials" a platform by hosting the naro.tech symposium. Every two years, experts from science and industry from all over the world come together in Thuringia and discuss the newest research results and possibilities for using natural resources for the manufacture of materials. "Right from the start the symposium has been acknowledged and worked regionally with the Thüringische Institut für Textil- und Kunststoff-Forschung (TITK (Thuringian Institute for Textile and Synthetic Materials Research)), based in Rudolstadt. The cooperation with EPNOE now takes us to a global level", says Fuchsgruber excitedly. From 2012, the EPNOE industry forum will be integrated into the naro.tech symposium in a two yearly rhythm.
The bioplastics industry is rapidly growing. According to calculations carried out by European Bioplastices e.V, in 2011 over one million tonnes of bioplastic will be manufactured in the world. It is conceivable that that number will double in the next four years. Starch based packaging chips, functional clothing made from natural fibres - the range of application of bioplastics is wide. The European automobile industry alone uses 20,000 tonnes of natural fibres every year (source: Nova-Institute). This trend is going to continue to augment. The bottom line is that the requirement for plastics is continuously rising whilst fossil resources are steadily declining.
EPNOE is a network for research and education. It combines 16 European research institutions from nine European countries and 22 companies from four continents. At the centre of the network's research focus are the possibilities for using plastics made from natural raw materials.
For further information
www.narotech.de
www.epnoe.eu