Bio-plastics, plastics made from plants, are increasingly used for IT and home electronic products. With improved quality and reduced costs, they are now seen as a viable alternative to conventional oil-derived plastics. While bio-plastics tend to be seen as environmentally friendly simply because they are not made from petroleum, their overall environmental impact still needs to be assessed comprehensively. Therefore GPN is launching a new research group on bio-plastics and recruiting participants from its members. The group will hold four meetings by March 2007 aiming at developing a guideline on how bio-plastics should be used.