This series of products is labeled with the LG Chem environmental brand “LETZero” logo, which is an environmental material brand to be launched by LG Chem in 2021, implying LG Chem's commitment to “realizing zero environmental pollution and zero growth in carbon emissions”. “LETZero is the brand name of LG Chem's eco-friendly materials to be launched in 2021. 

LG Chem Bio-Balanced Synthetic Rubber (Bio-Balanced BR) has three major advantages: high performance, sustainability, and stable raw materials:

01 High Performance

Sports shoes need to be wear-resistant, non-slip and aesthetically pleasing, so the soles must be made of rubber with good abrasion resistance and non-slip properties. LG Chem's Bio-Balanced BR not only has a high degree of transparency in its appearance, DIN friction loss of less than 50mm3, and excellent resistance to yellowing, abrasion, flexing, and ease of processing, but it also conforms to the market's demand for environmentally friendly materials that is gradually expanding. It is also in line with the expanding market demand for environmentally friendly materials. 

In addition, Bio-Balanced BR materials are used in industrial rubber products such as tires, golf ball cores, conveyor belts, rubber isolators and scaffolding. 

02 Sustainable

LG Chem's Bio-Balanced BR is an environmentally friendly material that utilizes bio-renewable raw materials extracted from waste cooking oil, plant by-products, etc. mixed with fossil raw materials, and it has received ISCC Plus international certification. It effectively reduces the use of fossil raw materials and significantly lowers the carbon emissions generated during the production process, with a carbon reduction effect of 138.7% of petroleum-based BR materials.

03 Stable supply of raw materials

LG Chem is building Korea's first first-generation bio-oil (HVO) plant in a joint venture with Italy's ENI Group ENI, with an expected annual production scale of approximately 300,000 tons. When HVO is used as bio-naphtha, it can provide a stable supply of raw materials for the production of Bio-BR, SSBR, SAP, and PVC.

The collaboration between Sicomin and MADskis sets new standards in winter sports manufacturing, demonstrating maximum sustainability, high yield strength slope performance and environmentally friendly working conditions. GreenPoxy® 56 has the highest bio-content, provides excellent mechanical properties and meets MADskis' challenging production and environmental requirements. It also provides a cleaner and safer production environment for the MAD production team as they use hand laminated wood tops, natural fibers and European wood cores in their boutique shop.

MADskis was co-founded by renowned professional skier and Class40 Ocean Racing World Champion, Aurélien Ducoz. Ducoz's Class40 yacht was constructed using Sicomin GreenPoxy resin and flax fibers, which highlights the resin's durability. Ducroz will now be applying similar processing techniques and materials to create cutting-edge, low-impact skis at MAD. Ducroz will now apply similar processing techniques and materials at MAD to create cutting-edge, low-impact skis.MAD's revolutionary UNDO-REDO process utilizes bio-based resins and natural wood topsheets that allow skiers to repair or replace the top layer of their skis, significantly extending the life of their skis, reducing waste, and promoting environmental responsibility.

Scandinavian Bioproducts Group's partnership with Southern European distributors is designed to respond to the EU's stringent regulation of hazardous ingredients and traceability in cosmetic products, as well as to meet consumer demand for safer, more environmentally friendly products; MCC, as a sustainable ingredient sourced from renewable wood resources, has great potential to meet these demands, as exemplified by the discontinuation of sales of Johnson & Johnson's baby powder due to the presence of talc in the product and the Titanium dioxide is banned for use in food in Europe due to its environmental hazards and cancer risk, and a recent enforcement program by the European Chemicals Agency found that 6% of cosmetics tested contained banned hazardous substances; MCC holds the promise of replacing these traditional ingredients with safer, greener solutions.

In the future, NBG and C.Q. Massó plan to collaborate to promote the widespread use of MCC in the beauty and personal care industry, replacing traditional ingredients such as talc and titanium dioxide, and exploring innovative formulations to meet consumer demand for high performance and sustainability. The two companies may also expand their partnership and strengthen research and development collaboration to enhance the performance and sustainability of MCC; furthermore, this collaboration will drive the beauty and personal care industry in a more sustainable direction and may contribute to the development of industry standards to provide consumers with better product choices. In order to remain competitive, NBG needs to continue to innovate and optimize its production processes to meet market challenges and reduce MCC production costs.

Nordic Bioproducts Group (NBG)

Nordic Bioproducts Group (NBG) is a Finland-based company specializing in the production of biobased products such as microcrystalline cellulose (MCC); it has the world's first continuous MCC production line with a capacity of up to 10,000 tons per year, and uses an advanced, environmentally friendly production process that results in zero solid-waste emissions and far lower consumption of chemicals, water and electricity than conventional processes.

C.Q. Massó

C.Q. Massó is a Spanish and Portuguese distributor of chemicals and cosmetic ingredients that shares NBG's commitment to driving the beauty and personal care industry in a safer and more sustainable direction.

(1) TotalEnergies Corbion and Jiangsu Yue Sheng Technology Co., Ltd (“Yue Sheng Technology”) have announced a strategic partnership that will allow the two companies to promote degradable EPLA (Expanded Poly Lactic Acid) technology globally, share application development and market insights, and collaborate on new product innovations. The two companies will promote degradable EPLA (foamed PLA) technology globally, share application development and market insights, and collaborate on new product innovations.

EPLA is a new generation of sustainable, high-performance foams made from Luminy® PLA bioplastic.EPLA is suitable as a bio-based, industrially compostable material for packaging, thermal protection and other molded applications. 

EPLA foam products are lightweight, protective and durable for packaging, food service and cold chain applications. The material is fully decomposable to water, carbon dioxide and biomass under industrial composting conditions with no environmental burden. It meets both performance requirements and increasingly stringent environmental regulations, as well as consumer demand for environmentally friendly materials. 

(2) TotalEnergies Corbion and Benvic, a specialist in compounding technology, have announced a partnership to promote the market adoption of sustainable Luminy® PLA-based composites, with the aim of expanding the penetration of plant-based solutions in durable applications such as automotive, medical devices, cosmetic packaging, home appliances, and electrical and electronics. and help the industry transition to low-carbon manufacturing. 

By integrating Benvik's Plantura® range of products with Total Energy Corbijn's Luminy® PLA technology, the two companies will introduce bio-based alternative materials with significantly lower carbon footprints to replace traditional ABS, PS and PP plastics. By compounding and modifying Luminy® PLA with other bio-based materials, the new products represent a breakthrough in functionality and performance, providing innovative solutions for environmentally friendly manufacturing worldwide.

Metpack's Ezycompost liner is made of BASF biopolymer ecovio® 70PS14H6, which offers a number of advantages: FDA-approved for food contact, excellent barrier to liquids, oils and fats, stable in boiling water at 100°C, no microplastics in home composting after use, and can be organically recycled in the food waste stream. 

The laminates can be used in food contact scenarios such as cold drink cups and microwave trays, and can be produced on standard molding lines. Its lamination speed is faster than PLA, the film layer is 40% thinner than PLA, and the lamination speed is comparable to that of PE; it does not stick to the cooling rollers, has good sealing and printing performance, and does not require adhesives for single/co-extrusion. Ezycompost's strength is comparable to that of PE laminated paper, and it is compostable and free of microplastics, making it faster to process and home compostable than PLA, said Metpack's director. 

Developed by Rightway New Material, PLA offers key advantages over traditional plastics and breaks down faster. Studies have shown that PLA breaks down more than 90% in industrial composting, while traditional plastics take hundreds of years to break down, and Santan's PLA-coated paper cups are certified for home composting, providing commuters with a more convenient and environmentally friendly waste disposal solution.

The program is currently being rolled out in Malaysia and Thailand and is planned to be extended to the seven airlines in the AirAsia Group. By adopting PLA, Santan is setting an example to others in the industry of what is possible when combining high quality service with environmentally friendly solutions.

Santan recognizes the challenges faced by the waste management segment, where disposable packaging is critical for hygiene and operational efficiency. As a result, the company is using artificial intelligence to optimize food resource management and is moving towards the use of compostable tableware. By facilitating forecasting and reducing overproduction, this approach minimizes food waste while improving supply chain efficiency and ultimately leading to more sustainable resource use and operations.

Capital A (formerly AirAsia Group) is an investment holding company with a portfolio of synergistic travel and lifestyle businesses that leverage data and technology, including the AirAsia SuperApp, fintech company BigPay and logistics startup Teleport.AirAsia (AirAisa) is the airline subsidiary of Capital A. The company is a member of the AirAsia Group.

The proposal, which involves the collaboration of the Bioplastics Association, has been published on the TRIS database in accordance with EU regulations. The European Commission and Member States will have 3 months (until July 2, 2025) to review the text and provide comments. 

The proposal makes adjustments to the provisions of the Conversion Directive (EU) 2019/904 (SUP) to clarify the technical characteristics of reusability of products and prevent products whose labeling is inconsistent with the actual situation from entering the market. The proposal stipulates reusability standards: plastic dinner plates with different specifications according to diameter and weight, and plastic tableware, plastic straws for food, and plastic drink stirrers defined according to the ratio of weight to length.

The reusability criteria set forth in the proposal are as follows:

Plastic plates: plates with a diameter of less than 19 centimeters and weighing more than 45 grams; plates with a diameter between 19 and 24 centimeters and weighing more than 80 grams; plates with a diameter of more than 24 centimeters and weighing more than 110 grams;

Plastic cutlery (forks, knives, spoons, chopsticks): weight-to-length ratio exceeding 0.5 grams per centimeter; plastic straws for food use: weight-to-length ratio exceeding 0.5 grams per centimeter, unless they fall within the scope of Directive 90/385/EEC or Directive 93/42/EEC; 

Plastic beverage stirring sticks: weight to length ratio exceeding 0.5 g/cm.

Previously, the environmental organization Legambiente investigated 317 products and found that more than half of the products did not indicate the number of times they should be washed or reused, only 8 per cent of the products had instructions for use in dishwashers and microwave ovens, and 70 per cent of the products were not certified or had nothing to do with reusability. The organization called on the government to clarify the concept of “reusability”, define product reporting information and monitor product market flows.

Simplifyber was founded in 2021 and is led by CEO Maria Intscher-Owrang, who has had a 20+ year career as a fashion designer and director at leading fashion houses such as Vera Wang, Calvin Klein, Alexander McQueen, Dirk Bikkembergs and Edun Vera Wang, Calvin Klein, Alexander McQueen, Dirk Bikkembergs and Edun. Suzano has been one of the company's main fiber suppliers since its inception.  

Simplifyber has created “garments of the future” through its soft, cotton-like biodegradable clothing and footwear, which are made by injecting a proprietary natural fiber liquid called Fybron™ into 3D molds without cutting, sewing or weaving, eliminating many of the production steps required for traditional textile manufacturing. These “garments and shoes” are made by injecting a proprietary natural fiber liquid called Fybron™ into 3D molds without cutting, sewing or weaving, eliminating many of the production steps required for traditional textile manufacturing, and are used to create a wide range of biobased and biodegradable textiles, such as textured shoe uppers, bags and upholstery.  

Simplifyber's cellulose formula is 100% natural, made from a combination of wood pulp and other plant materials and non-toxic additives, making it a fully biodegradable product that can easily be returned to nature and recycled into paper and clothing.

The startup has already partnered with Danish fashion band Ganni to launch its first product, a shoe upper made from cellulose material, in September 2024 at Paris Fashion Week.  

Simplifyber has transformed textile production with its patented, single-step process that completely eliminates textile waste and water contamination in the dyeing process. At the same time, Simplifyber says its solution reduces the number of steps by 60 percent and reduces the amount of material that ends up going to waste in the fashion supply chain by 35 percent. The company has reportedly launched several pilot programs with Fortune 500 brands to produce biodegradable shoe uppers, handbags, and even car interiors.

Breaking! UK plastic packaging tax abolished?Zero tariffs on 89 products

On April 13, local time, the British Ministry of Finance announced that in order to alleviate the pressure on business costs and stabilize economic growth, it would immediately launch a two-year and three-month tariff suspension plan until July 31, 2027, suspending tariffs on 89 imported goods, covering a variety of categories, such as food and beverages (spaghetti, fruit juices, and spices), and industrial products (plastic products). 

According to the UK government announcement and media reports, the 89 categories of goods on which tariffs have been suspended are mainly concentrated in the following areas:

Food and beverages: pasta (original tariff 14%-30%), fruit juices (covering juice concentrates, NFC juices, etc., original tariff 14%-30%), spices (e.g., basic seasonings such as cinnamon and pepper), canned foods (e.g., tomato sauce, jam) 

Daily necessities and industrial raw materials: plastic products (including packaging materials, household plastic parts, accounting for 22% of UK imports), gardening tools (such as flower pots, irrigation equipment), metal parts (such as screws, springs and other basic industrial products).

Other livelihood-related commodities: cleaning supplies (e.g., laundry detergent, soap), stationery and office supplies (e.g., paper, folders, some electronic product accessories (e.g., chargers, data cables))

British Prime Minister Starmer emphasized at the Downing Street press conference that the government will take “all necessary measures” to protect local businesses from the trade conflict. In addition to the tariff suspension policy, the United Kingdom has also simultaneously launched a £20 billion export financing support program, which establishes a special fund to assist enterprises affected by U.S. tariffs, and small enterprises can apply for low-interest loans of up to £2 million. This marks the first time that the United Kingdom has made large-scale use of trade policy tools to cope with external shocks after its exit from the European Union, highlighting its policy orientation of maintaining industrial competitiveness. 

The UK's policy adjustment has a double significance: on the one hand, it is a proactive response to the disruption of the global economic and trade order, stabilizing the supply chain by reducing the cost of imports; on the other hand, it highlights the policy autonomy of the post-Brexit era - in the absence of the EU's trade protection umbrella in the context of autonomy through the development of tariff reductions and export support policies, attempting to reconstruct trade advantages in the U.S. and China. In the absence of the EU's trade umbrella, it tries to reconstruct its trade advantage in the gap between the U.S. and China. 

With more countries may follow similar measures, the global trade pattern or enter a new round of adjustment period characterized by “regionalization, flexibility”. This initiative of the United Kingdom has a multi-dimensional impact on the packaging industry, the current packaging industry is in a period of transformation of environmental protection, the new regulations not only alleviate the short-term cost pressures on enterprises, but also to promote the industry's green upgrading and the application of intelligent technology, specifically related to the following four aspects: 

1. Supply chain reconfiguration accelerates the evolution of increased competition 

Tariff reductions for plastic products directly reduce costs for packaging companies

The tariff suspension covers industrial products (e.g., plastic containers, films, etc.), which are core raw materials for the packaging industry. In the case of juice packaging, for example, the tariffs on imported plastic bottles were previously 14-30%, and the suspension will reduce the cost by 15-25%. This will ease the pressure on packaging companies due to fluctuations in raw material prices, especially small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) that rely on imported plastics. The UK Plastic Packaging Duty requires that the proportion of recycled materials in packaging be no less than 30%, and the tariff reduction will enable companies to purchase compliant raw materials at lower cost, balancing environmental investment with profits.

Paper packaging is facing substitution pressure environmental protection trend is still dominant

Despite the falling cost of plastic packaging, the industry's transition to paper-based, biodegradable materials is being driven by the UK government's policy support for sustainable packaging (e.g., £30 million to fund plastic packaging innovation projects in 2022) and consumer preference (62% of UK consumers are willing to pay a premium for environmentally friendly packaging.) Frugalpac's paper bottles are experiencing a surge in demand, with orders for more than 100 million in 2021, reflecting the market's increased acceptance of alternative materials. Demand for Frugalpac's paper bottles is surging, with orders for more than 100 million bottles by 2021, reflecting increased acceptance of alternative materials. In addition, the development of recyclable transparent film at Oxford University and DS Smith's closed-loop recycling program are further undermining the long-term competitiveness of traditional plastic packaging. 

Accelerated evolution of the trend towards regionalization of supply chains

The escalation of U.S. tariffs on China has led to a reconfiguration of the global supply chain, and U.K. packaging companies may shift some of their production capacity to their home or neighboring regions. For example, Smurfit Kappa has opened an e-commerce packaging lab in the UK to enhance local testing and production capacity; and Faerch has partnered with Tesco on a closed-loop recycling program to reduce its reliance on imported raw materials. This “nearshore outsourcing” strategy not only avoids trade risks, but also conforms to the post-Brexit policy of strengthening local industries. 

2. Two-way transmission from the consumer to the enterprise side

End-consumer market: price-sensitive products may benefit

Tariff reductions may be passed through the supply chain to end prices. In the case of fruit juices, for example, zeroing out tariffs could save companies around £17m a year in tax, which if partially translated into lower retail prices could stimulate consumer demand and in turn packaging usage. However, this effect is limited by the UK's inflationary pressures (January 2025 CPI up 4.9% year-on-year) and consumer preference for environmentally friendly packaging, and companies will need to find a balance between cost optimization and product upgrades.

Export-oriented enterprises: policy dividends and trade barriers at the same time

The UK's simultaneous £20 billion Export Finance Scheme provides low-interest loans to packaging companies affected by US tariffs. For example, packaging companies in the automotive industry (such as suppliers of Jaguar Land Rover) can use the special fund to ease cash flow pressure. However, the US tariffs on China may indirectly affect the UK's packaging exports, and if Chinese companies turn to South East Asian markets, UK packaging companies will need to compete with local companies on cost and technology. 

3. The double bind of environmental regulations and trade instruments

Hedging of Plastic Packaging Taxes and Tariff Policies

The UK's 2022 plastic packaging tax requires that no less than 30% of material be recycled, and this tariff reduction could make companies more inclined to use lower-cost virgin plastics. However, there is a contradiction in the policy design: if companies reduce their recycled content as a result of the tariff reduction, they may trigger the plastic packaging tax, which could lead to an increase in total costs. For example, if a drinks company reduces its use of recycled PET from 35% to 25%, it will save on duty, but it will have to pay a tax of £200 per tonne, which will increase its overall costs.

Circular economy policy accelerates industry transformation

The UK government plans to make packaging 100% recyclable by 2027 and is promoting a deposit return scheme for drinks containers. This requires packaging companies to move away from the 'disposable' model to 'design for recycling'. Greiner Packaging's K3® packaging, for example, separates plastic from paper for recycling through a removable cardboard sleeve, and this type of technology could become mainstream in the future.

4. Technological innovation and business model change

New Directions in Supply Chain Resilience Building

Both the epidemic and the trade war have exposed the vulnerability of supply chains, and companies have begun to diversify. For example, British carton companies were forced to increase prices by 6-7% in 2021 due to raw material shortages, and have since increased local recycling of waste paper (DS Smith recycles 300,000 tons annually) and established strategic reserves with Dutch and German suppliers.

New Exploration of Business Models

Companies are shifting from “selling packaging” to “packaging as a service”. For example, Faerch provides pallet recycling services for Tesco, reducing customer costs through recycling; Frugalpac promotes the paper bottle leasing model, in which consumers pay a deposit and return the empty bottles, and the company is responsible for cleaning and refilling them, a B2B2C model that reduces carbon footprints by 30%.

The UK's tariff adjustment is not only a short-term strategy to cope with the impact of global trade, but also a long-term layout to promote industrial upgrading. Packaging industry colleagues need to find a dynamic balance between cost optimization, environmental compliance and technological innovation, while paying attention to the spillover effects of the US-China tariff war and opportunities for global supply chain reconstruction!