SPI to Co-Sponsor 16th Annual Meeting of the BioEnvironmental Polymer Society in June

March 18, 2009

Contact:
Barry Eisenberg
(202) 974-5210
beisenberg@plasticsindustry.org

Three-Day Symposium to Address Design, Synthesis, Characterization, Processing and Applications of Biodegradable and Other Environmentally Degradable Polymers

WASHINGTON, D.C. (March 18, 2009) -- Bringing together scientists, program managers and policymakers for three days of technical and industrial presentations pertaining to biodegradable and other environmentally degradable polymers, “Polymers and the Environment: Emerging Technologies and Science,” the 16th Annual Meeting of the BioEnvironmental Polymer Society (BEPS), will be held June 16-19, 2009 at McCormick Place in Chicago, Ill.

Co-hosted by BEPS, SPI: The Plastics Industry Trade Association and the Biodegradable Products Institute, the meeting is dedicated to the growth and innovation of bioplastics and will explore topics such as  biobased packaging and coating technology; biodegradable standards, definitions and methods; carbohydrate-based materials; cellulose polymers and composites; PHA- and PLA-based materials; global trends in plastics and the environment; new products, processes, emerging markets and applications; and more. 

“SPI is pleased to be a co-sponsor of this prestigious event for the second time,” said Melissa Hockstad, vice president of SPI’s Material Suppliers Council and executive director of the Bioplastics Council, a special interest group launched by SPI in 2008. “More than 50 presentations from around the world will cover cutting-edge research and technology with a focus on connecting the science to real-world applications for the growing bioplastics market.”

After kicking off with an opening reception the evening of June 16th, the opening plenary session on the 17th will feature:

  • Steven Baker – Federal Trade Commission, Midwest Office
  • Holly Bamford – National Oceanic & Atmospheric Administration, Marine Debris Program
  • Johanne Denault – National Research Council of Canada, Biotechnology Research Institute
  • Luis Diaz – CalRecovery, Inc.
  • George John - City University of New York, Department of Chemistry
  • Ramani Narayan – Michigan State University, Department of Chemical Engineering & Materials Science
  • Patrick Taylor – U.S. Army Research Development & Engineering Command,  Environmental Acquisition & Logistics Sustainment Program
The BEPS Student Research Awards, a $500 prize and certificate of recognition given to two qualified graduate students presenting a paper at the meeting, will be bestowed at an evening awards banquet on June 17th.

For program details and registration information, visit www.beps.org or contact Tania Farries at tfarries@plasticsindustry.org or (202) 974-5267.

The NPE2009 international plastics exposition will take place June 22-26, 2009 at Chicago's McCormick Place. The event is produced by the Society of the Plastics Industry, Inc. (SPI). Co-located with NPE2009 will be the Society of Plastics Engineers' ANTECTM 2009, the world's largest plastics technical conference, and Gardner Publications' MoldMaking ExpoTM 2009 show and conference. Visit www.npe.org.

Founded in 1937, SPI is the plastics industry trade association representing the third largest manufacturing industry in the United States. SPI's member companies represent the entire plastics industry supply chain, including processors, machinery and equipment manufacturers and raw materials suppliers. The U.S. plastics industry employs 1.1 million workers and provides nearly $379 billion in annual shipments.