In 2023, President Biden emphasized the need to replace 90 percent of plastics—which are predominantly made with fossil fuels—with biomaterials over the coming decades. With McKinsey predicting that bio-based processes could generate $4 trillion in annual U.S. economic impact, it seems illogical that the industry would not shift toward creating bio-based plastics and chemicals today.
However, many challenges impede this transition. Albert Y. Chao, president and CEO of Westlake Corporation, explains, “There are some bio-based polymers, but they do not have all the properties that petroleum-based poly- mers have, and they are very expensive. While bio-based options are more sustainable, they often lack the durability required for certain applications and come at a significantly higher cost.” Jeroen Verhoeven, VP of valuechain development at Neste Renewable Polymers and Chemicals, adds: “The primary obstacle in moving towards a more sustainable chemical industry is the cost competitiveness of fossil-based feedstocks. The low price of these materials discourages the shift to more expensive, sustainable alternatives.”
The inherent qualities that make plastics valuable—durability, lon- gevity and waterproofness—are the same qualities that complicate the creation of biodegradable or sustainable versions. For instance, low-density polyethylene (LDPE) used in single-use plastic bags or polyethylene terephthalate (PET) for food packaging are difficult to replicate sustainably due to their robust properties. Imagine a plastic bag disintegrating into the ocean without leaving a trace and that same bag needing to support the contents and potential leakage of your grocery shopping.
Renee Henze, chief sustainability officer at IFF, notes, “Further com- plicating the adoption of innovative technologies are the challenges of scaling up. Many promising solutions remain in the R&D phase, and scaling them to make a measurable impact requires significant capital and resources.”
Attaining commercial viability for most bio-based products takes time, and many companies are waiting for future regulation to provide the right conditions and price point for wider adoption. As Rahul Rasal, VP commercial at NatureWorks, puts it, “we believe an inflection point is near. Legislation is a significant factor driving this shift, with Europe, the U.S. and other countries leading the way.”
Anthony O’Donovan, president and CEO of Arkema Inc., mentions another significant barrier: “Overcoming market inertia is crucial. Customers are often reluctant to pay a premium for sustainable products despite their professed interest in sustainability. This economic reality makes it challenging to achieve economies of scale for new sustainable technologies.
Yet, there is progress. Almost every company I spoke to is already developing sustainable bio-based polymers. And many are reaching commercial viability. Ashland’s vegetable oil- based core ingredient can be designed into a range of products such as biodegradable seed coatings and efficient pill coatings. Kalsec has developed a range of “natural antioxidants from rosemary to replace synthetic preservatives,” highlights their CEO, Robert Wheeler, as an al- ternative to synthetic products common in the food industry. And thankfully for many coffee drinkers, like this reporter, Kuraray America is addressing the "coffee 2050 problem" by developing “biodegradable drip bag coffee filters made from plant-derived polylactic acid-based material,” highlights Vance Darr, director of Health, Safety, Environmental and Security (HSES).