The CREATE Network will host its second symposium on November 19, 2026, at the SKZ Plastics Center in Würzburg. The conference will bring together companies, research institutions, and associations from the bio-based value chain and the plastics industry. The focus will be on how bio-based plastics can find their way into the market and what conditions must be met for this to happen, in addition to material development.
The network has now grown to 85 members. At the first symposium in November 2025, more than 100 participants gathered to discuss current developments. Since then, the network’s expert forums have addressed topics from industrial practice in both online and in-person formats, including applications of bioplastics in medical technology, barrier coatings, polyethylene furanoate (PEF), and Design for Degradability. At the same time, a technology platform, an impact assessment tool, and educational programs are being developed.
Market Access and Applications
At this year’s symposium, the focus will be even more strongly on specific applications and market access. Presentations by European Bioplastics, the nova-Institut, and Fraunhofer will shed light on the global and European context of bio-based plastics. Topics include success factors and hurdles in the commercialization of biopolymers, as well as developments and potential for polybutylene succinate (PBS).
Philipp Wohlfahrt, a scientist at SKZ and project manager for CREATE, describes the objective as follows: “A solution that is technically sound and environmentally sustainable on its own is not enough. For a successful market entry, regulatory considerations, economic viability, and resilience must also be taken into account at an early stage.” It is precisely these perspectives that the symposium aims to bring together.
Practical Examples and Workshops
A pitch session featuring brief presentations from companies and research institutions will demonstrate what concrete solutions might look like. Topics will include commercial applications of PBS, the use of leaves in plastic compounds, the acceptance of sustainable plastic solutions in agriculture, bio-based coloring of bioplastics, sorting requirements in recycling, and the role of tree resin in starch-based compounds.
In the afternoon, three parallel workshops will delve deeper into the day’s topics. They will address strategies for market access for bio-based plastics, regulatory frameworks, and the use of industrial residual and by-product streams. Participants include C.A.R.M.E.N. e.V., the Bavarian Chemistry Cluster, and the abonocare Innovation Cluster. Insights from industrial practice will be provided by BASF, Rowasol, and Mercer Rosenthal, among others.
An exhibition showcasing materials and applications is planned to accompany the event. A get-together in Würzburg is also scheduled for participants arriving the evening before. CREATE is an innovation cluster for the plastics bioeconomy led by the SKZ. The project is funded under the “Industrial Bioeconomy” funding program of the Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Energy from February 2025 through January 2028.