New Expert Voices Opinion Article – Revolutionizing Bioplastics with Digital Tools in the DiMAT Project
By Pauline Moreau

NaturePlast – 3 April 2025

As part of our Expert Voices rubric, this article explores how digital innovation is reshaping the development of bioplastics, focusing on the experience of NaturePlast, a French company specialized in the commercialization and optimization of bio-based and biodegradable plastics.

Within the DiMAT project, NaturePlast is leveraging advanced digital tools—particularly the DiMEC-LCA tool—to streamline the development of new bioplastic formulations. These materials are being tailored for technical net applications used in industries such as fishing and construction, where mechanical performance and environmental impact are both critical.

Traditionally, developing such materials involves multiple iterations of testing, requiring significant time, energy, and raw material use. The DiMEC-LCA tool is helping NaturePlast overcome these hurdles by enabling:

• Precise modeling of biopolymer mixtures to reduce trial-and-error in formulation.

• Identification of ideal processing parameters (e.g. extruder settings) for optimal material behavior.

• Assessment of environmental and economic impacts across the material life cycle.

• Streamlined compliance with sustainability regulations.

These functionalities support NaturePlast in accelerating its R&D cycles while minimizing resource consumption. In a market where time-to-market and cost efficiency are becoming essential, digitalization offers a strategic edge.

The company’s current challenge lies in modeling the complex physical and chemical interactions that occur during bioplastic extrusion. Yet this challenge is also an opportunity. By collaborating closely with the developers of the DiMAT digital tools, NaturePlast is actively contributing to their refinement, ensuring that future iterations are better equipped to handle the complexities of modern materials development.

As Pauline Moreau notes, “Digital tools like DiMEC allow us to make smarter, faster decisions—not only improving product performance but reducing our environmental footprint along the way.”

NaturePlast’s work demonstrates how digital tools can revolutionize not just manufacturing efficiency but the very way we innovate sustainable materials. As bioplastics become an integral part of the green transition, technologies like DiMEC-LCA will be key to unlocking their full potential.

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