The document discusses rethinking plastics production within a circular economy model. It summarizes the Ellen MacArthur Foundation's work developing a blueprint for a circular plastic packaging economy. Plastic production has increased twenty-fold in the last 50 years and is projected to continue growing rapidly. Most plastic packaging is lost after a single use, becoming waste. The document advocates shifting plastic production towards renewable feedstocks and developing recovery systems to keep materials circulating in the economy. It provides examples of companies working on bioplastics and compostable materials that enable diversion of organic waste from landfills.
3. Ellen MacArthur Foundation ā āThe New Plastics Economyā
A Circular Economy Blueprint for Packaging Plastics
THE NEW PLASTICS ECONOMY
Rethinking the Future of Plastics
The Foundation aims:
ā¢ āto bring together for the first time
a comprehensive global
perspective of the broader plastic
packaging economy,
ā¢ āto present a vision and propose
a roadmap as well as a vehicle
for progressing this roadmap
ā¢ āto provide a much needed global
focal point to carry this agenda
forwardā¦
ālooking for systemic change to
overcome stalemates in todayās
plastics economy in order to move
to a more circular modelā¦ā
5. ā¢ Production expected to double again
in 20 years, and quadruple by 2050
ā¢ Plastic Packaging is single largest
application (26% of total today)
Plastics Production Increased Twenty-Fold Over
The Last 50 Years
6. āPlastic Packaging is an iconic linear applicationā¦ā
ā95% of plastic packaging material value
(US$ 80-120 bn) is lost annually after a
short first use ā¦
9. How the Plastics Industry is rethinking itself from a
Circular Economy Perspective
0
20
40
60
80
100
plastic characteristics - functionality and performance
After
Use
Sourcing
Use
Manuf-
acture
How
plastic
is recovered
How the
plastic
is made
What the plastic is made fromā¦
Ideal Material
Current, Incumbent Plastics
Futureā¦
Where do
Bioplastics
Fit ?
10. Letās talk about bioplastics
sourcing & manufactureā¦
After
Use
Sourcing
Use
Manuf-
acture
0
20
40
60
80
100
11. Letās talk about bioplastics
sourcing & manufactureā¦
After
Use
Sourcing
Use
Manuf-
acture
0
20
40
60
80
100
āWith an expected surge
in consumption,
negative externalities
related to plastics will
multiplyā
World Economic Forum, Ellen MacArthur Foundation and McKinsey
& Company,
The New Plastics Economy ā Rethinking the future of plastics
(2016, http://www.ellenmacarthurfoundation.org/publications).
12. An Example: Negative Externality Resulting from Manufacture
2.3
2.2
1.8
1.6
0 0.5 1 1.5 2 2.5
Polystyrene
PET
HDPE
Polypropylene
kg CO2 (eq) generated /kg material produced
Source: PlasticsEurope www.lca.plasticseurope.org
13. An Example: Negative Externality Resulting from Manufacture
2.3
2.2
1.8
1.6
0 0.5 1 1.5 2 2.5
Polystyrene
PET
HDPE
Polypropylene
kg CO2 (eq) generated /kg material produced
Source: PlasticsEurope www.lca.plasticseurope.org
āIf the current strong growth of plastics
usage continues as expected, the emission
of greenhouse gases by the global plastics
sector will account for 15% of the global
annual carbon budget by 2050, up from 1%
todayā
World Economic Forum, Ellen MacArthur Foundation and McKinsey & Company,
The New Plastics Economy ā Rethinking the future of plastics
(2016, http://www.ellenmacarthurfoundation.org/publications).
14. Implications of Renewably Sourced - Carbon Footprint Comparison
2.3
2.2
1.8
1.6
0.6
0 0.5 1 1.5 2 2.5
Polystyrene
PET
HDPE
Polypropylene
Ingeo
kg CO2 (eq) generated /kg material produced
EU Producers - PlasticsEuropem www.lca.plasticseurope.org
Peer Reveiwed Benchmarking
19. Bioplastics Directly from GHG
(methane)
āMango Materials
produces a naturally
occurring biopolymer
from waste biogas
(methane) ā¦
āthe AirCarbon
production process
begins with
concentrated
methane-based
carbon emissions ā¦ā
R&D Program:
US Federal & State
level funding for one
step fermentation of
methane to lactic
acid, the Ingeo
building block ā¦
Ingeo
āPHA polymers
(close functionally to polyolefin materials)
21. The NatureWorks feedstock project is but one example of a rapidly
gathering critical mass of interest in the industry
in direct GHG conversion
Industry Wide Engagement & Interest
in āNext Generation Feedstocksā
6 - 7 December 2016, Maternushaus, Cologne, Germany
22. Letās talk about bioplastics functional
material characteristics in useā¦
Sourcing
0
20
40
60
80
100
After
Use
Use
Manufacture
25. āBio-benignā materials choices for
manufacture
THE NEW PLASTICS
ECONOMY
Rethinking the Future of Plastics
Greenpeaceās
āPyramid of Plasticsā(1)
http://www.greenpeace.org/usa/wp-
content/uploads/legacy/Global/usa/planet3/PDFs/this-vinyl-house.pdf, p. 27
1.PVC
2. PU, PS, ABS, PC
3. PET
4. PE, PP
5. Biobased polymers
28. The Challengeā¦
In 2016ā¦
35.4bn
PLASTIC
CAPSULES
0 10,000 20,000 30,000 40,000 50,000 60,000
2012
2016
2020
Plastic Capsule Market Growth
Volume (Million Units) Value ($ Million)
ā16/ā20 CAGR 8%
ā16/ā20 CAGR 10%
- AMI Consulting, Single Serve Beverage Capsules - Market Overview, 2016
Growth of Single-Serve Plastic Capsules
29. The Opportunity - Functional Compostable
Capsules
579 million kgs of
coffee
was consumed via capsules in
2016 by the 3 largest consuming
regions (USA, EU, AUS) in 2016.
Fills the Empire State
Building 2.6x1.
90% of brewed pod is coffee
valuable organics mostly lost
to landfill
1. Estimated based
on 13g coffee in
volume of average
K-Cup
Diverting Organic Waste from Landfill
30. Weāve designed functional Ingeo materials to perform in
multitude of capsule designs & components
CAPSULES
**For high & low pressure systems
Compression molding
Thermoforming
Injection Molding
FILM LIDDING
FIBER FILTERS
Nonwovens with custom
basis weight
FIBER LIDDING
35. Organics Diversion from Landfill
ā¢ US ā āthe 28% Opportunityā
ā¢ Where Composting infrastructure
exists, Compostable plastics like
Ingeo provide a tool for organics
diversion from landfill
Food
Scraps
14.6%
Other
3.3%
Paper
27.0%
Glass
4.5%
Metals
9.1%
Plastics
12.8%
Rubber, leather
& textiles
7.6%
Wood
6.2%
Yard
trimmings
13.5%
US Example: Total US MSW
Generation (by material), 2013
Source: Advancing Sustainable Materials Management:
Facts & Figures 2013, USEPA, June, 2015
36. Cultural Influence of Sports
āWhile 13% of Americans
say they follow science, 61%
say they are sports fansā
Source: National Resources Defense Council
40. Recycling, Or, āHow to avoid being part of the 86%)
ā¢ Most plastics (and bioplastics) can be recycled, yet very few are
ā¢ PLA Example:
ā Long routinely recycled at post industrial level
ā Initial collection programs beginning at consumer level
Collecting Converting End-Markets
ā¢ PLA bale
specification &
pricing set
ā¢ Flake specifications &
process development
underway
ā¢ r-PLA product
development
underway