Nestle, Danone and Heinz are among a number of FMCG companies that have pledged to work on the “responsible” development of plant-based plastics.
The Bioplastics Feedstock Alliance has been formed, Nestle said, to “guide the responsible selection and harvesting of agricultural materials” used in bioplastics, including sugar cane and corn.
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The development of biofuels has provoked fierce debate over the alternative uses of food crops. The alliance, known as the BFA, said its members – which also include Unilever, Procter & Gamble and Ford – said “concerns about converting nature to industrial production models need to be fully considered”.
“Over the past 15 years progress in life science technology and in agricultural production systems has made it increasingly possible to envision a future where renewable carbon from plants replaces fossil carbon in the production of chemicals and materials needed by society. This new industrial production system has been labeled the bioeconomy. It is now possible to explore the real possibility of reducing the carbon intensity of materials such as those used in packaging, textiles, automotive, sports equipment, and a wide range of other industrial and consumer goods applications,” the BFA says on its website.
“The emerging bioeconomy has so far been characterised by the development of biofuel technology and markets around the world. As that industry has matured, a number of critical issues have come into focus such as resource competition for food, land, water and energy. These issues represent challenges to the future growth of the bioplastics industry as a part of that bioeconomy. The BFA seeks to identify the potential impacts of the bioplastic industry and possible measures to mitigate them. In this way, BFA can help move the bioplastic industry’s emerging supply chain in a positive direction.”
World Wildlife Fund has helped to convene the BFA, which intends to bring together experts from industry, academia and civil society to work on the sustainable development of materials that can be made into bioplastics.
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By GlobalData“Ensuring that our crops are used responsibly to create bioplastics is a critical conservation goal, especially as the global population is expected to grow rapidly through 2050,” Erin Simon of WWF said.
Nestle is already using bioplastics made from sugar cane and other plant-based materials. Last year, some of its Vittel bottled water started to be sold in PET bottles made from “30% plant-based material”.
The Swiss food group said it was “particulary interested” in what it called “second-generation bioplastics” made from by-products like molasses or cane residue, or from non-food sources including algae, cellulose and waste products.
In 2011, Heinz and Coca-Cola Co., another member of the BFA, entered into a deal for the sauce manufacturer produce its ketchup bottles using the soft drink firm’s sustainable PlantBottle packaging.
