Luca Biasiolo, CEO of Bibetech: «We are investing in research and in a new production plant in Isola»

Investments of 13 million in production plants and renewable energy and a team dedicated to studying alternative materials to plastic, which could be presented by the end of the year. This is the response of Bibetech of Montecchio Maggiore to a decidedly changed attitude towards plastic, as CEO Luca Biasiolo explains.
Biasiolo, how has the situation changed in recent years?
There is a greater awareness about the environment and all the implications that the use of plastic entails. The last year and a half has been very important, because while before there were pioneers, like Nova-mont, which still at the time of Raul Gardini had developed the first biodegradable materials that remained niche, in recent years the new awareness towards sustainability has meant that even large manufacturers have started to invest in these products and this drives innovation. The next two or three years will be key.
How are you dealing with this change?
Our company is complex, we are present in all four plastic sectors: medical, food packaging, automotive and technical molding. Especially in the first two, which are the sectors that best lend themselves to the use of new materials, we have been investing significantly for a couple of years, because we think, as per European directives, that in the coming years everything that is disposable will be replaced with biodegradable materials that can be disposed of in organic waste.
So research and development.
Yes. We have a team of four people who test all the materials on the market to understand their various applications.
Some, in fact, are degradable but do not go in the microwave, others are perhaps not transparent. We need to understand how far we can compromise today.
Where are you at?
Very far ahead. For example, we have already managed to create biodegradable products for ice cream that go to -20°, to print transparent biodegradable materials, required in the food industry to “encourage” purchases.
Our team, in collaboration with some large customers, who understood before others in which direction the market is going, is trying to develop alternative packaging that we hope to be able to launch by the end of the year.
These are operations that require significant investments.
Research and development, in reality, is part of a larger project. We are finishing building a 10,000 square meter plant in Isola, with significant investments in photovoltaics. By the end of the year we should have around 3MW and 60% of the energy used in our plants is self-produced. Furthermore, we are looking for land for a ground-based plant.
And this includes a new mentality: we no longer want to be the “ugly and bad” ones, but those who have been able to question themselves and find solutions. For this reason, in three years, we are investing 13 million euros.
What will be the next development of the plastic market?
There are currently two approaches: the first, appreciated in Europe, which looks at recycling and the second which pushes on biodegradable materials, in which Italy is at the forefront.
Which one will win, in your opinion?
Probably both, based on the sectors of application. The one who succeeds first in satisfying the needs of the market will win. The mistake made so far was to ask recyclable materials to have the same characteristics as virgin plastic. We need to find a compromise.
We are studying both situations and I believe that this will also bring advantages in terms of business.