With three years of treaty talks ending in deadlock, Fredrik Malmfors, Lignin Industries CEO, thinks the negative result could be a springboard to domestic action.
Lignin Industries
With over 99% of plastics still made from fossil oils globally, Lignin Industries is focused on eliminating global fossil dependency by reducing the fossil content within plastic. Their patented, bio-based plastic emits significantly lower CO2 emissions over its lifecycle, as they partially replace some of the fossil oil material with a renewable biomass material called lignin.
Fredrik says: “While I’m deeply disappointed with the outcome of INC-5.2, I remain optimistic that it can still be a springboard for real progress in reducing plastic’s global impact. Failure to agree on a global instrument won’t stop action; it will accelerate it amongst ambitious, climate-conscious countries and companies that realise the importance of changing the plastics industry - and there are many. Europe in particular has an opportunity to lead this, with the on-going revisions to bio-economy strategy and subsequent legislation and activities."
He continues, "Many solutions already exist but have scarcely been considered. For instance, the treaty Chair’s latest text ignores bio-based plastics as viable plastic alternatives. Yet there are solutions like lignin-based plastic that delivers the same functional benefits as conventional fossil-based plastics, fits into existing recycling schemes, and significantly reduces plastic emissions."
It’s about combining this with upscaled recycling technologies and activities that allow plastics to be recycled at a faster rate, and we can tackle plastic emissions at the source whilst moving towards a more circular and bio-based economy.
Fredrik concludes, "Of course, this is but one of the many ways in which we can come together to tackle the global plastic problem, but we can no longer wait for a perfect treaty. It’s about acting now, with the tools that are already available to us."