BASF
Coke bottles made from plants?
European chemical companies have revealed plans to develop plant-based plastics for Coca-Cola bottles and Danone yogurt cups, says Reuters. One of the firms, Avantium, will announce an initial public offering (IPO) this week to help fund a new production facility for the material, which it is co-producing with Germany's BASF, the largest chemical producer in the world.
BASF sees healthy future despite seed and ag-chem mergers
The third-largest producer of agricultural chemicals, German-based BASF "is not backed into a corner" by the wave of mergers among the world's largest seed and agricultural-chemical companies, says deputy chief executive Martin Brudermueller.
Hawaii to expand voluntary pesticide reporting in GMO seed
The Hawaii state Department of Agriculture plans to expand statewide a voluntary program in which major agricultural companies such as Dow, Pioneer, Sygenta and BASF report the types and amounts of restricted-use pesticides that they use each month on Kauai, says Honolulu Civil Beat. Under the "Good Neighbor Program," the companies put a 100-foot buffer zone around pesticide applications and, if requested, notify neighbors before spraying. State agriculture director Scott Enright "said he expects the program to be implemented statewide by the end of the year."