The role of bioplastic in a circular economy

We all know that soil needs nutrients in order to remain fertile but did you know that soil is a limited resource? It is expected that the amount of cultivable soil per capita in the world will be halved by the time we reach 2050 due to development, erosion, and deforestation.

Novamont is a global leader in the field of bioeconomies and Catia Bastioli, CEO, is a pioneer in the development of production processes and products that can help decarbonise the economy – i.e. reduce CO2 emissions. “We don’t simply produce products. Everyone agrees it’s great to produce sustainable products. But we also need to be aware of the economic mindset we wish to aim for. In addition to products there must also be an interest in quality of life for people,” Catia Bastioli explains. 

“Soil is not renewable and it takes more than 2000 years to form a 10 cm layer of soil. But our lives depend on the soil – all production of food begins in the soil and soil binds enormous quantities of CO2 that would otherwise be released into the atmosphere. But in spite of this, the UN’s Food and Agriculture Organisation assesses that 33% of the planet’s soil is degraded and damaged by chemical contamination, acidification, nutrient imbalance and more,” says Novamont CEO, Catia Bastioli.

“If everyone knew that soil fertility, which is the basis of our food supply, was not renewable it would be a lot easier to create a sense of individual and collective responsibility.” “The combined effects of climate change and an exhausted soil can, over the course of the next 30 years, reduce agricultural output by half in some drought-affected regions. Globally, we need much more organic material and a comprehensive separation of food waste and organic materials can help contribute to that,” says Catia Bastioli.

Composting is a decomposition process that generates carbon dioxide, which is far less harmful in relation to global heating than methane gas. In addition to carbon dioxide, compost contains other nutrients that can enrich and elevate soil quality. By using compost to grow foodstuffs we can limit the use of artificial fertilisers and irrigation.

Sustainable products that are biodegradable, for example, compostable bioplastic, can help avoid an accumulation of non-natural and non-degradable contamination in the environment, traditional plastics, for example. Thereby achieving improved soil and water quality that can enrich the ecosystem. Soil and water retain their quality and become an integrated part of rebuilding and production.

When municipalities use conventional plastic bags for collection of food waste, the remnants from the bags will contaminate agricultural land and, year after year, this plastic will accumulate and make our agricultural soil poorer over time. A compostable Biobag will, in contrast, decompose in the soil and become water, CO2 and humus.

Only two percent of the entire world’s consumption of plastic is reused for the same purpose and only 12 % is downcycled, i.e. it is reused but in a product of poorer quality than the original. Production and consumption must be circular so that we use the fewest resources possible, use those resources sensibly and then ensure that they can be reused. Much of the thin plastic packaging we use for foodstuffs is difficult to reuse and is often lined with food residue. If this type of packaging was made from compostable plastic and we also had multiple composting plants, this widespread form of packaging could be collected together with food waste and composted. This would also result in that fraction still using conventional plastic being cleaner and therefore easier to reuse” explains Catia Bastioli.

European Bioplastics has clear guidelines for when they believe it is best to use compostable plastics instead of conventional plastic: