Bio-based content major topic in CEN webinar on bio-based products

On 2 October 2020, CEN organised the webinar “Boosting the bio-based products market through standardization” to give interested parties insights on the current bio-based market and the standards and certifications available for bio-based products. The bio-based market is constantly evolving and bio-based products are considered to be part of the solution in combatting climate change. Companies and research laboratories develop new materials and continue to experiment with its application. Bio-based products vary in composition and the amount of bio-based content.

The European Commission mandated the development of several standards for the bio-based industry to harmonise methodologies and technologies, in order to boost the bioeconomy. These standards have been developed by the CEN/TC 411 committee on ‘Bio-based products’, a collaboration of various companies and (scientific) institutes in Europe. The webinar addressed standards with regard to determining bio-based content, sustainability criteria and life cycle assessment.

Francois de Bie (Total Corbion PLA), Chairman of CEN/TC 411 ‘Biobased products’ and Chairman of European Bioplastics, highlighted in his introduction the importance of standardisation: “The ongoing ‘environmental deabate’ is driving the need for standards and certification in the field of biobased materials”. André van Zomeren (TNO) presented the standards portfolio and the way the standards relate to each other. In his talk he paid much attention to the Bio-based content certification, emphasing that it is an effective tool that helps the industry in making certified claims about their bio-based products.

The webinar can be watched on the CEN-CENELEC YouTube channel.