Bio-on and Italeri unite to use Minerv PHA Supertoys in the toys and models of the future. Safe, eco-sustainable and environmentally sound.

BOLOGNA, 24 March 2016 –Bio-on announces the launch of a new collaboration with Italeri S.p.A., a production and distribution leader in the modelling sector. Thanks to this agreement, the manufacture of scale models will be done for the first time with the special grade Minerv PHA Supertoys, the new type of bioplastic developed by Bio-on laboratories for the toys of the future.  Based on the revolutionary Bio-on biopolymer, 100% naturally biodegradable and already tested in dozens of applications, from automotive to design to biomedical, Supertoys is safe, hygienic and biodegradable, it meets and exceeds the provisions of the recent European Directive 2009/48/EC, known as the TDS (Toy Safety Directive), implemented into the standard international procedure for toy safety evaluation EN 71.   The Minerv PHA Supertoys project, launched by Bio-on in late 2015, aims to demonstrate that specific, ecosustainable and completely biodegradable formulations can be created for making toys that are safe for children and the environment, without losing out on the end product's functionality and aesthetic.   “We are extremely proud to be launching this important collaboration with Italeri, a company that has written the history of global modelling,” explains Bio-on S.p.A. Chairman Marco Astorri, “because it offers us the opportunity to develop new uses for PHAs Supertoys biopolymers in thousands of different items with extremely high levels of precision”.   “It's a fascinating challenge,” say Gian Pietro Parmeggiani and Giuliano Malservisi, the co-founders of Italeri S.p.A., “to be able to create new models with a completely natural eco-sustainable material that truly takes us to the future. The great success our sector is enjoying, amongst people of all ages, has a new ecosustainable goal for the future. Not just at home but also in schools around the world, there is a need to return to the manual activities lost through excessive use of screens. Enabling people to do this with completely natural products will put us at the cutting-edge in the coming decades”.   Bio-on bioplastics are made from renewable waste plant sources, with no competition with food supply chains, and are 100% naturally biodegradable. “We chose Italeri products”, explains Astorri, “because they are very complex to produce. Tolerance is minimal and managing to guarantee such a high quality level will enable us to make future developments in every other item in the sector”. The Minerv PHA Supertoys research and development project launched in December 2015 is dedicated to all companies around the world working on toy design and aims to create two types of bioplastic by the end of 2017: Minerv PHA Supertoys type “R”, rigid and strong, and Minerv PHA Supertoys type “F”, ductile and flexible.  

ITALERI S.p.A.

Italeri S.p.A was set up in the mid ‘60s in Bologna by two co-founders, Gian Pietro Parmeggiani and Giuliano Malservisi. The company has maintained its initial characteristics and is now a leader in the static modelling field, with a presence in over 50 countries in all continents. In 2001 Pama Trade Srl, a connected company, was founded to distribute and market the main international model and toy brands. Today the Italeri offer boasts 600 models, within an overall production of approximately 1,500 items, many of which are recognised as being unique on the global modelling scene. The Italeri range, which began with scale models of aeroplanes, broadened with the introduction of military vehicles, ships, trucks, cars and motorcycles. The range is constantly being developed thanks to painstaking modelling research, detailed techniques and the careful design of dedicated models and lines. Italeri has entered into a number of collaborations with major international partners. In particular, it has launched collaboration projects that are unique in the sector, bringing modelling and videogames closer together for the very first time. For the last two years, it has run a project specifically dedicated to schools, aimed at raising awareness and enhancing the practice and culture of modelling amongst young people. The company has gained international recognition whilst remaining firmly rooted in Italy. 

Italeri S.p.A. via Pradazzo 6/b 40012 Calderara di Reno (Bo) Mariangela Silva-Parmeggiani  Tel: +39 051 3175211 Fax: +39 051 726459 www.italeri.com

Press release on NASDAQ web site at the link : http://www.nasdaq.com/press-release/bioon-and-italeri-unite-to-use-minerv-pha-supertoys-in-the-toys-and-models-of-the-future-20160324-00035