text: 11 October 2012 20:19 [Source: ICIS news]
  ARTIMINO, Italy (ICIS)--Renewable polyethylene terephthalate (PET) could become sustainable and competitive over time, an official with Italy-based Mossi & Ghisolfi (M&G) said on Thursday.
  "The future is there [for bio PET]. It could be sustainable over time and it could be competitive if we are careful with the selection of biomass," said Mario Barbieri of PET producer M&G.
  Barbieri made his comments during a round-table discussion hosted by Global Services International (GSI) at their PET Day in Artimino, ?xml:namespace>
  M&G has created a biochemicals business unit that will handle development of biobased ethanol and bio-polyester feedstocks ethylene glycol (EG), paraxylene (PX) and bio-based purified terephthalic acid (PTA).
  However, for now, crude-oil-based chemicals will lead the way and will continue to be marketed, according to Jose Aramburu of Cepsa Quimica.
  "We believe in bio resins … but we are not actively promoting it for the time being. We are taking a dedicated approach to recycling," said Christian Mayr of PET converter ALPLA.
  It will take 10-20 years, but bio PET will eventually reign, said a member of the