Biotop-report 2013

Research is carried out here 

Our research focuses on: analytical chemistry, pharmaceutical 

development and clinical research. Our findings lead to innovative 

and proven quality compounds. In this way, we improve quality of 

life for many people. 

Here we produce ... 

The main focus of our product portfolio is medication for pain and 

diabetes therapy as well as for the treatment of disease relating to 

the cardiac and circulatory system or the thyroid gland.  

Patients have placed their trust in our medicines for over 100 years. 

From here we apply our know how on the market ... 

Especially in the eastern European markets; there we have over 31 

representative offices. We supply patients worldwide within the 

Italian Menarini Group network.  

BERLIN-CHEMIE, a company in the Menarini Group, stands for 

tradition and innovation from Berlin. 

Tradition and Innovation based in Berlin

For more information: 

BERLIN-CHEMIE AG · Glienicker Weg 125 · 12489 Berlin

Phone: [phone] · www.berlin-chemie.de

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22

BioTOPics 46 | September 2013 

BioTOP-Report

Industrial Biotechnology 

Focus: Biopolymers and Bio-based Plastics

Bioplastics are still niche products today, but that is due to change soon. The reason: Bioplastics offer enormous 

potential for business and the environment. They are expected to find application in many industries soon, be 

it as biodegradable mulch foil for agriculture, “green” packaging for food, or light-construction components 

for cars. Germany is investing increasingly in the development of biopolymers and bioplastics, for example as 

part of its national research strategy BioÖkonomie 2030. 

The term bioplastics designates three types of materials: bio-

based plastics, i.e. plastics produced on the basis of biomass, pe-

troleum-based biologically degradable plastics and those which 

are both, i.e. bio-based and biologically degradable. 

Biopolymers are the precursor of bio-based plastics. Biopolymers 

either occur naturally (like cellulose, starch, lignin and proteins) 

or they are biotechnologically manufactured polymers (like bac-

terial cellulose) or polymers whose synthesis components are 

made of renewable raw materials (like sugar or vegetable oils). 

Alongside the bio-based versions of classical polymers produced 

on the basis of petroleum (like PE, PP or PA) – the so-called drop-

in solutions – there are now new polymers like PLA or PHA.

Biopolymer market set to grow in the coming years

Market analyses predict an exciting future for the use of biopoly-

mers with above-average growth. According to the Nova Insti-

tute, production capacity worldwide is to reach 12 million tons by 

2020, tripling the volume of 2011.  A great variety of materials 

and products is expected. The number of manufacturers, process-

ing companies and, above all, users is set to rise strongly during 

the coming years. Materials made of biopolymers will be used 

in a wide range of application areas: in the packaging industry, 

the life sciences, in architecture and the design industry, in agri-

culture and forestry or in light construction – for example in the 

transport industry.

One great advantage of the biopolymers is that they are based 

on renewable resources and therefore reduce petroleum con-

sumption. In addition, some biopolymers and bio-based plastics 

(e.g. PLA) have special characteristics which cannot be achieved 

with petroleum-based polymers, or only at considerable expense. 

Since the production of biopolymers and bio-based plastics is to 

grow strongly in the next few years, we can expect that rising pro-

duction volumes and increased market penetration will reduce 

the presently still existing disadvantages in terms of both cost 

and optimised processing methods. 

High potentials for cross-innovations 

Plastics are everywhere and everyday life is no longer conceiv-

able without them. Items of daily use like pens, USB sticks, mo-

bile phone covers, breadboxes, toys or citrus presses – many 

products are already on the market in bio-based versions. Inno-

vative products are also being developed which use the specific-

ity of biopolymers, e.g. more environment-friendly disinfestation 

systems for forestry, protein foils for bio-diapers, components 

for facade casings or packaging foils made of stale bread. When 

developing new system solutions, it is essential to involve both 

the raw material supplier and end user from the start to create 

Dr. Karl Heinz Tebel

Chairman of the managing board of BASF 

Schwarzheide GmbH

Cluster spokesman for plastics and chemistry of 

the state of Brandenburg

As cluster spokesman for plastics and chemistry of the state 

of Brandenburg, I am pleased that the establishment of 

the “Innovationszentrum Bioplastics Lausitz” succeeded in 

close cooperation of Fraunhofer Institute for Applied Poly-

mer Research with Kunststoffverbund Berlin/Brandenburg 

(KuVBB) and BASF, and innovative approaches to dealing 

with this interesting group of products are investigated at the 

newly launched Fraunhofer- “Competence Centre for Bioplas-

tics Processing” at the BASF site in Schwarzheide. I am certain 

that such projects and initiatives pave the way for additional 

businesses to settle in Brandenburg.

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