A Focus Group on bio-based and biodegradable plastics use in the toy industry at Ecomondo

On 11th November 2022, the Department of Management of the University of Bologna and the Prospex Institute, as part of the activities of the Horizon 2020 BIO-PLASTICS EUROPE project, organize a Focus Group at Ecomondo – The Green Technology Expo, the International Trade Fair for Material and Energy Recovery and Sustainable Development.

The focus group involves about fifteen international experts and European business players representing the leading actors in the toy value chain. The involvement of the International Organisation for Standardisation, Nova Institute, the European Bioeconomy Network, and several companies operating in the sector represents a key aspect in contributing to the international debate on the added value that bio-based and biodegradable plastics can provide in specific applications. Last but not least important is the role that such materials can play in accelerating the transition toward the so-called circular bioeconomy.

Although Europe is one of the most regulated markets in this sector, many toys containing heavy metals and toxic chemicals, manufactured in non-European countries and traded into the EU, still exist. Moreover, 90% of toys have made from conventional plastics, and about 80% end their useful life in landfills or incinerated.

The insights gathered thanks to the Focus Group will have a two-fold function: on the one side, they will have used to re-design business models of companies operating in the toy sector innovatively and sustainably; on the other side, they will be shared with the European Commission, to contribute towards the implementation of a policy and regulatory framework for bio-based, biodegradable and compostable plastics, as part of the Circular Economy Action Plan.