The bio-logic of sustainable plastics

Making packaging sustainable is a huge task. Reusable containers play a role. As does greater use of paper and cardboard. But since the 1970s our use of plastics has grown massively because they have provided an ideal solution - low cost, low weight, tough and flexible.

Eliminating single-use plastics made from fossil fuels remains immensely challenging. The WWF estimates total plastic waste in the UK is around 4.9 million tonnes per year (rising to 6.3m tonnes by 2030). Recycling can only be a partial solution. It’s energy intensive and still encompasses only a proportion of the waste: current UK recycling rates are around 30% and projected to rise only to 37% by 2030 (WWF again).

Globally, around 270 million tonnes of petroleum are used each year to produce plastics. Plastics and other petrochemical products are expected to account for more than a third of global oil demand growth by 2030 and nearly half of demand growth by 2050, according to the International Energy Agency (IEA). Even as the world switches from petrol & diesel engines, the benefits will be offset by growth in demand for plastics.  

Of course avoiding any sort of plastic for single-use would be the best solution. But the WWF forecasts show that’s unlikely to happen in time to address the climate catastrophe.   

Here’s where bioplastics step in. Created from renewable ‘biomass’ rather than petroleum, they allow us to use plastic materials without taking oil out of the ground to create a single-use packet. For Kelpi, seaweed provides the ideal biomass to create home-compostable, marine-safe bioplastics.. Other innovators are looking at plants and plant waste, engineered protein, even seafood shells.

Bioplastics aren’t always biodegradable. Some are compostable – more on this in our next blog post – but often only in the industrial composting facilities that handle domestic food waste. Marine-degradable bioplastics are still in their infancy – although increased awareness of plastic pollution in our oceans is now creating the conditions to change that.

Here at Kelpi, we’re proud to be part of a new wave of innovators helping to address climate change through reducing demand for fossil fuels. We believe in seaweed, but we’re delighted to hear of competitors using other biomass alternatives. We need every bit of scientific innovation to turn around that mountain of 5 million tonnes of plastic waste in the UK alone.

Photo by vitamina poleznova on Unsplash