.png)
Last week’s announcement from the European Commission introducing a new Bioeconomy Strategy feels like a long-awaited shift. For the first time, Europe is clearly recognising bio-based and compostable plastics as strategic materials, not alternatives sitting on the sidelines.
For those of us who have spent years building credible, science-driven solutions in this space, this is not just policy news, it is validation. The EU is finally aligning with what innovators, researchers, and many early adopters have been saying for a decade: we cannot transition away from fossil plastics without renewable, non-toxic, circular materials.
Almost in parallel, the ReBioCycle consortium announced a milestone that could remove one of the biggest practical barriers for bioplastics. Their early trials show that materials like PLA, PHA and starch-based polymers can indeed be recycled into high-quality polymers through mechanical, chemical and biological routes. For an industry where compostables are still treated as “contaminants” in many recycling facilities, this is a breakthrough. The fact that pilot-scale testing is already happening in the Netherlands, Spain and Italy, supported by new near-infrared sorting technology, means we’re not dealing with theory anymore, we’re building real infrastructure.
The new EU strategy, combined with scientific progress like ReBioCycle, feels like the first coordinated step out of this paralysis. We finally see recognition that bio-based and compostable materials deserve realistic pathways, integrated recycling solutions, and application-specific standards, not one-size-fits-all rules that undermine innovation.
At LAM’ON, this moment feels especially meaningful. We have spent more than six years developing certified compostable, bio-based films that are safe, functional, and scalable. Seeing Europe shift in a direction that supports bio-based solutions, while research teams across the continent demonstrate that compostable materials can be part of circular recycling systems, gives me real optimism.
It means the work we are doing is not only relevant, but necessary. It means we can accelerate collaborations, expand pilots, and design packaging that truly performs without adding to the planet’s burden. And it means that the future of packaging can be both beautiful and responsible, without the compromises we once assumed were inevitable.
For the first time, it feels like the bioeconomy is not something we are fighting for, but something Europe is finally ready to build with us.
LAM’ON is ready to set the pace.
💚 Angela