Bioplaster: Fakta och siffror 1
FAQ JUN 2017 European Bioplastics e.V. Marienstr.
19/20 10117 Berlin Will there be sufficient agricultural area in the world to sustain production of food, feed, fuel and bioplastics? There are various ways to ensure a sufficient supply of biomass for the production for food, feed, and industrial/material uses (including bioplastics) now and in future. These include: 1. Broadening the base of feedstock: The bioplastics industry is currently working mostly with agro-based feedstock (i.e. plants that are rich in carbohydrate, such as corn or sugar cane). Several projects, however, are already looking into using plant residues or other lingo-cellulosic feedstock. 2. Increasing yields: Increasing the efficiency of industrial conversion of raw materials into feedstock, for example by using optimised yeasts or bacteria and optimised physical and chemical processes would increase the total availability of resources. 3. Taking fallow land into production: There is still plenty of arable land in various geographical regions available for production, even in the European Union2 . Is the use of non-food feedstock feasible? Yes, to some extend. Today, bioplastics are predominantly produced from agro-based feedstock (i.e. plants that are rich in carbohydrates). At the same time, the bioplastics industry is investing in the research and development to diversify the availability of biogenic feedstock for the production of biobased plastics. The industry particularily aims to further develop fermentation technologies that enable the utilisation of ligno-cellulosic feedstock sources, such as non-food crops or waste from food crops, in the medium and long term. The production of ligno-cellulosic sugars and ethanol in particular are regarded as a promising technological approach. http://www.european-bioplastics.org/bioplastics/feedstock/ http://docs.european-bioplastics.org/2016/publications/md/EUBP_landuse_2014-2019_total_en.jpg http://docs.european-bioplastics.org/publications/pp/EuBP_PP_Feedstock_availability.pdf phone fax European Bioplastics e.V. Are GMO crops used for bioplastics? The use of genetically modified (GM) crops is not a technical requirement for the production of any bioplastic materials that are commercially available today. If GM crops are used, the reasons usually lie in the regional feedstock supply situation or are based on economic decisions. e-mail web Marienstr. 19/20, 10117 Berlin +49.30.28 48 23 50 +49.30.28 48 23 59 info@european-bioplastics.org www.european-bioplastics.org Most bioplastics producers do not use GMO feedstock for the production of their bio-based plastic materials or offer GMO-free options. Yet, even if GM crops are used for the production of bioplastics, the multiple-stage processing and high heat used to create the polymer removes all traces of genetic material. This means that the final bioplastic product contains no genetic traces. The resulting bioplastic product is therefore well suited to use in food packaging as it contains no genetically modified material and cannot interact with the contents. http://www.european-bioplastics.org/bioplastics/feedstock/ How can the industry support the supply of sustainable feedstock? Sustainable sourcing of feedstock is a prerequisite for more sustainable products. That is why European Bioplastics supports: 1.) the general sparing use of resources and increase of resource efficiency (e.g. through use cascades), 2.) the implementation of good agricultural practice, 3.) corresponding third-party certification, and 4.) a responsible choice of feedstock: The use of food residues or byproducts of (food) crops can contribute to more sustainable sourcing. In addition, the biorefinery concept is promising in transforming cellulosic, non-food biomass feedstock into a variety of chemicals, e.g. ethanol, lactic acid, or many others, which can also be used to manufacture bioplastics. Sustainable sourcing of the renewable feedstock and good agricultural practices and technologies are continuously enhanced and ensured through the emergence of reliable and independent sustainability certification schemes such as ISCC Plus, RSB, or REDcert. http://www.european-bioplastics.org/bioplastics/feedstock/ 2 Different sources come up with varying figures for „free“ arable land, the French National Institute For Agricultural Research gives 2.6 billion hectares of untapped potential (article in ParisTech, 2011), the nova-Institute calculates 570 million hectares based on figures of OECD and FAO (2009). The bottom line – there is an ample amount of unused land available. VR 19997 Nz, Amtsgericht Charlottenburg, USt-IdNr. DE235874231 HypoVereinsbank Rosenheim, BLZ 711 200 77, Konto 6356800, IBAN DE26 7112 0077 0006 3568 00, BIC/SWIFT HYVEDEMM448 14