B4Plastics wins first VLAIO Award thanks to positive ecological impact
VLAIO has presented the first VLAIO awards in three categories of ecological, social and economic impact. Catalisti member B4Plastics immediately won prizes because of the ecological impact of their innovations in the plastics sector.
Leen Thys and Kim van der Heul from B4Plastics received the very first VLAIO Award in the ecological impact category. Flemish Minister for Innovation Jo Brouns congratulated them extensively. B4Plastics was rewarded for its strong mission to produce more bio-based plastics from bio-based raw materials. The company is building a technology platform for the architecture of customized biopolymers that preferably use local raw materials in local production.
“Sustainable bioplastics are a promising alternative to traditional plastics. Our materials are made from maximum renewable raw materials and are biodegradable without leaving microplastics behind,” Leen Thys responded during the award ceremony. “It may be difficult for many people to imagine, but it starts with a gram of new material in a laboratory and then grows into a demo plant and production line. That is quite a growth process. Today we are an example in the field of R&D with this VLAIO Award, now we want to take the next step and build a success story in the market.”
B4Plastics is serious about its sustainable mission. Recently, CEO Stefaan De Wildeman wrote the following about the growth story of B4Plastics in the newspaper De Tijd: “I have never been afraid for a single second. Because I am convinced that the world will be better with bioplastics from green and local chemistry. That mission is stronger than myself.”
As a member, B4Plastics is very active in projects that are set up with the support of Catalisti. For example, B4Plastics participated in the EnzymASE and Tune2Bio projects, which focus on the use of bio-based raw materials and the degradability of the new plastics.
Congratulations B4Plastics!