Biodolomer for LIFE – final conference March 5, 2020
Final conference Biodolomer for LIFE March 5, 2020
Place: NSR, Helsingborg Sweden
The conference gathered 70 participants from the plastics industry, energy and waste business, media and students.
The program started with Martin Dyberg, strategic communicator at NSR and moderator of the conference welcoming and thanking the participants for attending the conference.
Johan Vesterlund, a Centre politician and chairman of the Environmental committee in Helsingborg city gave an opening speech about the importance of innovation within environment and climate. Biodolomer is an innovation and will support the development in building a fossil free and more sustainable society. Helsingborg is a city in the forefront and is very proud of achieving the award for best environmental municipality three years in a row in Sweden.
Eva Stål, the project leader set the scene describing the Biodolomer for LIFE project, the objectives and the main actions. A Layman’s report was distributed to the participants as a summary of the project.
Åke Rosén, the founder of GAIA BioMaterials and responsible for R&D told the story of Biodolomer, which is unique in its composition being renewable, degradable and compostable and can replace up to 80% of the fossil volume plastics.
Dr Mattias Bisaillon, a senior expert at the research and consultant company Profu presented the LCA for Biodolomer which in summary gives a minus net effect regarding GWP, global warming potential compared to Bio-PE and Fossil PE. For each ton of fossil plastics that is replaced with Biodolomer you save 6,6 ton of CO2.
Daniel Olsson, CEO of AllGroup gave his view on the development of biomaterial starting to substitute the fossil plastics products and packaging.
At the end of the conference there was a panel where Kim Olsson, CEO of NSR, Henrik Oxfall, chemical specialist at IKEM, Patrik Hermansson, Head of Strategy and Innovation at Öresundskraft and Daniel Olsson discussed the situation of plastics and how biomaterial plays an important role in replacing fossil plastics. The audience asked many questions that the panel was happy to respond to.
The main issues discussed was the current market situation for a biomaterial like Biodolomer in relation to recycled fossil plastics and the new Swedish tax on carrier bags where no consideration has been taken either to bio-based carrier bags nor recycled fossil carrier bags. There is a big need to have courage among stakeholders to start replacing fossil plastics with biomaterial where it is possible. As one of the panel speakers said:
– It starts with each of us both as professionals and as consumers!
After lunch a bus went to the GAIA plant outside Helsingborg. App. 25 people joined the plant visit where they could experience the production of Biodolomer granulate and products like carrier bags and aprons.
A Layman’s report in Swedish and English is found:
https://helsingborg.se/kommun-och-politik/samarbete/internationellt/eu-projekt/
The LCA is found:
Biodolomer introduced to waste company November 13, 2019
The project Biodolomer for LIFE was invited by the innovation hub for waste handling called Vera Park*, to meet with the local waste handling company in Hässleholm. Nils Andersson from GAIA presented Biodolomer for LIFE and showed the different products made of Biodolomer. The group was very interested and had a lot of questions. A possibility for any waste company is to use the food waste bag for collection of food waste from households. A survey shows that using Biodolomer food waste bag gives app. 20% more food waste for biogas production at the same time the feedback from the inhabitants are that they are more pleased with both the funktion and freshness compared to the paper bag.
*Vera Park is an innovation hub for waste handling in Helsingborg. It is a subsidary to NSR, the local waste company serving the inhabitants of the six Northwest municipalities. During the project Biodolomer for LIFE has been invited to meet with many companies/municipalities to present Biodolomer as part of their study visit to Vera Park. Altogehter the project has introduced Biodolomer to more than 800 specialists thanks to Vera Park.
Biodolomer visits biogas producers November 5, 2019
The technical group went for a 2-day study trip to visit biogas producers in Växjö, Uppsala and Gävle. The group also visited the new plastic recycling plant, Svensk Plaståtervinning in Motala. The plant, which is the biggest recycling facility for plastic in Europe collects all plastics from every household in Sweden. The ambition was to learn more about different techniques on how biogas is produced today and also to introduce Biodolomer as a new material on the market. We had very good discussions with the actors within biogas production on how to better fit a material like Biodolomer into the process. The focus was to explore how Biodolomer as a food waste bag can work smoothly in the pre-treatment process and contribute to the production of both biogas and biofertilizer.
Since Biodolomer also can be material recycled the visit to Motala gave the group knowledge how the plant is working today and the plans going forward. Biomaterial is not part of plastic recycling today due to technical challenges but there are possibilities for the future.
The conclussion of the study tour was the importance for the stakeholders within the recycling and biogas business to understand the potential of Biodolomer. The work will continue to inform all stakeholders on the market about the possibilities.
Biodolomer project visits BAQUA for final conference October 5, 2019
As part of the LIFE program Konrad Rosén, GAIA BioMaterials visited the final conference of the BAQUA project on the Gran Canaria in October 2019 . The purpose was to learn more about the BAQUA project, present the Biodolomer for LIFE project and to exchange experiences. Both projects show case products benefitting from using locally sourced bio-based resources as raw material. Konrad shared the experiences of using bio-based filler material and the challenge in using fibres in compound manufacuring. The aim was also to make new connections and find potential collaborations between the project participants for the future. The conference included 50 attendants from academy, compounding business and investors.
Rotary study visit to GAIA factory – September 19, 2019
22 members of the Helsingborg Landborgen Rotary club made a study visit to GAIA’s factory. Åke Rosén told the story of an entrepreneur’s journey with focus on the story of Biodolomer, a bio-based, biodegradable and compostable material. Åke talked about the cooperation with EU and how the project is trying to influence the development of policies within the plastics business to make sure bio-based material is not percieved as traditional plastics. The group was very interested and as consumers they asked a lot of questions. The visit ended with a factory tour to see the production.
As thank you the Rotary club donated 500 SEK, in the name of GAIA to a school project for girls in Kosovo, read more at their home page:
https://helsingborg-landborgen.rotary2390.se/page/våra-projekt
It’s a better choice – seminars in the Nordic countries September 10-12, 2019
The Nordic Bioplastics Association invites the plastic business to be part of a road tour in the Nordic countries to educate and inspire stakeholders who wants to understand more about the opportunities with biobased plastics. The tour visited the capitals in Finland, Sweden and Norway during three days in September. The interest to participate in the seminars was very high, there even was a waiting list. During the three days alltogether 500 decision makers was reached by the information why biobased plastics is a better choice (compared to fossil) – already today.
Åke Rosén, the founder of GAIA BioMaterials was one of the speakers telling the story of the uniqueness of Biodolomer. Åke also marked the importance of being part of EU LIFE15 program for financial support to develop Biodolomer to become fully renewable, biodegradable and compostable. To make the presentation more lively Åke always brings products so the audience can feel, touch and test the material, which is very much appreciated.
Read more at: https://www.nordiskbioplastforening.se/
Bo Wallteg opening the seminar in Stockholm
More than 200 participants in Stockholm – a record for the Association
LCA comparing Biodolomer with fossil PE and bio-PE September 1, 2019
As part of EU’s funding for the Biodolomer for LIFE project, a Life Cycle Assessment(LCA) study has been commissioned by the LIFE programme in order to document the results achived within the project, in terms of having less negative impact on the environment. The study, performed by the independent research and consultancy company PROFU, is now official and the results for Biodolomer compared to the alternatives are very good indeed.
“The LCA report clearly shows that Biodolomer is an excellent alternative to fossil volume plastics when it comes to it’s environmental impact”, says Åke Rosén, founder of GAIA BioMaterials and CTO. ” We have been convinced of this all along, but it’s always nice when an independent conducted study confirms your opinion.”
You can download your copy of the LCA study for free through the following link:
http://www.gaiabiomaterials.com/datasheet/LCA_for_Biodolomer_FINAL_version.pdf
Delegation from Ghana to learn about Biodolomer August 19, 2019
GAIA presented Biodolomer for a delegation from Ghana that spent a week in Sweden learning about Swedish innovations within the waste management sector. Nine representative from the waste company Zoomlion together with three representative from Ghana Chamber of Commerce spent the day at NSR(Waste Company in Skane) and met with Öresundskraft, NMSR and GAIA, some of the companies, that are currently part of the industry park, Verapark – the Circular Economy Centre of Helsingborg.
GAIA presented some products that are part of the EU LIFE project and the participens really liked the biomaterial, that is renewable, biodegradable and compostable. In the afternoon there was a round-table seminar arranged between the African company Zoomlion and the Verapark-companies.
Also attending at the study visit, was Mrs Jessica Magnusson, business developer at Verapark, Mr Kim Olsson, CEO of NSR and Verapark, boardmember of NSR Mr Michael Rosenberg, boardmember of NSR Mr Bo Lambertsson-Persson and NSR boardmember Arvid Straube.
EASME visit to Biodolomer for LIFE project June 13-14, 2019
On June 13-14, representative from EASME and NEEMO visitied Biodolomer for LIFE to review the project. The first day was spent at GAIA to discuss the progress of the project and we finished with a guided tour of the new factory premises at Ättekulla. In the evening we went on a ferry trip with the world’s only electric ferry. The group was invited by the captain to learn about the unique technique from the control bridge. The trip was very much appreciated by our visitors.
The second day, the review continued and this time at the waste-power plant, Filbornaverket. After the review Martin Tofft, CEO at Öresundskraft Kraft&Värme presented the reasons why and the importance of taking the role as contributing beneficiary finishing off with a round-trip in the plant. Kim Olsson, CEO of NSR ended the visit by presented why the waste company NSR is engaged in the project.