[{"command":"add_css","data":[{"rel":"stylesheet","media":"all","href":"\/sites\/default\/files\/css\/css_-kTcRwkqPhQLsqEvdSSyU2XZ3CV5VEleXoE3_xZi2cg.css?delta=0\u0026language=cs\u0026theme=hm_theme\u0026include=eJxLzi9K1U8pKi1IzNErSa0oSSxKTdQtSi3OrEoFAJQ3Cqw"}]},{"command":"openDialog","selector":"#drupal-modal","settings":null,"data":"\u003Cdiv id=\u0022republish_modal_form\u0022\u003E\u003Cform class=\u0022modal-form-example-modal-form ecl-form\u0022 data-drupal-selector=\u0022modal-form-example-modal-form\u0022 action=\u0022\/cs\/article\/modal\/5769\u0022 method=\u0022post\u0022 id=\u0022modal-form-example-modal-form\u0022 accept-charset=\u0022UTF-8\u0022\u003E\u003Cp\u003EHorizon articles can be republished for free under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0) licence.\u003C\/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp\u003EYou must give appropriate credit. We ask you to do this by:\u003Cbr \/\u003E\n      1) Using the original journalist\u0027s byline\u003Cbr \/\u003E\n      2) Linking back to our original story\u003Cbr \/\u003E\n      3) Using the following text in the footer: This article was originally published in \u003Ca href=\u0027#\u0027\u003EHorizon, the EU Research and Innovation magazine\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp\u003ESee our full republication guidelines \u003Ca href=\u0027\/horizon-magazine\/republish-our-stories\u0027\u003Ehere\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp\u003EHTML for this article, including the attribution and page view counter, is below:\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cdiv class=\u0022js-form-item form-item js-form-type-textarea form-item-body-content js-form-item-body-content ecl-form-group ecl-form-group--text-area form-no-label ecl-u-mv-m\u0022\u003E\n        \n\u003Cdiv\u003E\n  \u003Ctextarea data-drupal-selector=\u0022edit-body-content\u0022 aria-describedby=\u0022edit-body-content--description\u0022 id=\u0022edit-body-content\u0022 name=\u0022body_content\u0022 rows=\u00225\u0022 cols=\u002260\u0022 class=\u0022form-textarea resize-vertical ecl-text-area\u0022\u003E\u003Ch2\u003EFrom plastic litter to high-quality compost\u003C\/h2\u003E\u003Cp\u003EIn the early 1990s, Italian chemist and Novamont Chief Executive Catia Bastioli invented Mater-Bi \u2013 a biodegradable plastic made from agricultural products. The goal: plastic carrier bags that will turn into compost, so that they can also be used as a bin bag for collecting organic waste. One reason, she explained, was Italy\u2019s delicate environment, consisting of lots of mountains and coast and little flat land.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003ESince the invention, public authorities have stepped in. Cities in northern Italy, such as Novara and Turin, banned non-biodegradable plastic bags.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EIn 2011, Italy became the first country in Europe to ban them \u2013 ordering people either to use biodegradable plastic bags or bring their own carriers. As a result, the number of disposable bags used in supermarkets has halved, and the amount of waste sent to landfills is down by a fifth.\u003Cblockquote class=\u0022text-center text-blue font-bold text-2xl w-full lg:w-1\/2 border-2 border-blue p-12 my-8 lg:m-12 lg:-ml-16 float-left\u0022\u003E\n  \u003Cspan class=\u0022text-5xl rotate-180\u0022\u003E\u201c\u003C\/span\u003E\n  \u003Cp class=\u0022font-serif italic\u0022\u003E\u2018You cannot start to rule all the bioeconomy from the top level ... we need to see what case studies can teach us.\u2019\u003C\/p\u003E\n  \u003Cfooter\u003E\n    \u003Ccite class=\u0022not-italic font-normal text-sm text-black\u0022\u003ECatia Bastioli, Chief Executive Officer of Novamont SpA, Italy\u003C\/cite\u003E\n  \u003C\/footer\u003E\n\u003C\/blockquote\u003E\n\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EBiological plastic bags themselves won\u2019t transform the European economy. But their success is a concrete example of how the bioeconomy can take off \u2013 through a combination of invention, public pressure over a problem, and lawmaking. As policy-makers encourage research projects and set up cooperation networks to try to ignite the bioeconomy, living examples of biotech business successes can serve as models.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u2018You cannot start to rule all the bioeconomy from the top level,\u2019 Bastioli told the EU\u2019s Bioeconomy Conference in Dublin in February. \u2018We need to see what case studies can teach us.\u2019\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThe new plastic bags are a particularly good lesson in how to proceed, because they helped do more than just reduce litter. In parallel to the plastic bag rules, Italy also reformed its treatment of compost and waste. \u003Cspan class=\u0022img_legend\u0022 style=\u0022float: left;\u0022\u003E \u003Cfigure role=\u0022group\u0022\u003E\n\u003Cimg alt=\u0022The biodegradable plastic bag is just one example of what one can do with biopolymers coming from agricultural products. \u00a9 Novamont\u0022 height=\u0022267\u0022 src=\u0022\/research-and-innovation\/sites\/default\/files\/hm\/HO1_RTD-Bioeco-novamont-shopper-conad-riempito.jpg\u0022 title=\u0022The biodegradable plastic bag is just one example of what one can do with biopolymers coming from agricultural products. \u00a9 Novamont\u0022 width=\u0022200\u0022\u003E\n\u003Cfigcaption class=\u0022italic mb-4\u0022\u003EThe biodegradable plastic bag is just one example of what one can do with biopolymers coming from agricultural products. \u00a9 Novamont\u003C\/figcaption\u003E\n\u003C\/figure\u003E\n The biodegradable plastic bag is just one example of what one can do with biopolymers coming from agricultural products. \u00a9 Novamont \u003C\/span\u003EA 2006 law ruled that compost has to be collected separately, either using bins or biodegradable bags. Since then, the amount collected has risen from 2 million tonnes to 4.2 million. The composters\u2019 association created a quality mark, and today 78\u0026nbsp;% of high-quality compost is produced from waste collected by local governments.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003ETo make the biodegradable plastic bags, a network of biorefineries and other industrial facilities related to bioplastics has sprung up across Italy. Total investments are estimated at more than EUR 1 billion (2013-2016) and around 3 000 direct jobs (up to 2016) are expected to be created in the country, according to Novamont\u2019s Bastioli.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u2018The real initial seed is not really important for its nature but for what it\u2019s able to create in terms of interconnection and development,\u2019 she says. \u2018This is the only way to speed up the growth of the bioeconomy.\u2019\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003ELast March, the European Commission launched a consultation concerning the new European Strategy on Plastic Waste in the Environment. Among other issues, it addresses biodegradable plastics and bio-based plastics.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003C\/textarea\u003E\n\u003C\/div\u003E\n\n            \u003Cdiv id=\u0022edit-body-content--description\u0022 class=\u0022ecl-help-block description\u0022\u003E\n      Please copy the above code and embed it onto your website to republish.\n    \u003C\/div\u003E\n  \u003C\/div\u003E\n\u003Cinput autocomplete=\u0022off\u0022 data-drupal-selector=\u0022form-vxbp9h8zlmab3f64qvf5rbb91g6uvxbif4rlzuwjcpg\u0022 type=\u0022hidden\u0022 name=\u0022form_build_id\u0022 value=\u0022form-Vxbp9H8Zlmab3F64qVf5RBB91g6uvxBif4rlZUwjcpg\u0022 \/\u003E\n\u003Cinput data-drupal-selector=\u0022edit-modal-form-example-modal-form\u0022 type=\u0022hidden\u0022 name=\u0022form_id\u0022 value=\u0022modal_form_example_modal_form\u0022 \/\u003E\n\u003C\/form\u003E\n\u003C\/div\u003E","dialogOptions":{"width":"800","modal":true,"title":"Republish this content"}}]