A MAJOR BREAKTHROUGH IN CELLULOSE PROCESSING

APPLIED BIOPLASTICS

Let’s talk about the economic expansion driven by plastic over the last century. Planes, trains, and automobiles; toys, tools, and technology, all cheaper, lighter, more accessible to more people. Plastic is an amazing invention, and that’s why, even though it’s already everywhere, demand for plastic is still growing faster than the expansion of the human race. It enables our growth, and vice versa— when economies expand to include more people, those people demand more plastic.

One of the primary downsides of this incredible growth is a major negative externality - a large volume of carbon emissions associated with the plastic’s production. In 2015, plastic production accounted for 1.8 billion metric tons of CO2 emissions. If projections hold, emissions will reach 6.5 billion metric tons per year by 2050 - over 15% of the total budget.

Of particular concern is polypropylene-- it makes up a staggering 23% of all plastic produced annually. Yet most biopolymer companies are focused on reducing single use plastics like LDPE and PET, which leaves a major hole in the sustainable plastics market.

Currently, the only alternatives available to durable goods manufacturers are either sold at a huge premium-- wiping out the main advantage of polypropylene: it’s cheap!-- or require extensive changes to the methods they use to manufacture everyday items. Manufacturing is already a low-margin business, so forcing unwelcome change on that industry would drastically change the price and availability of the durable products that everyone on the planet uses.

So this is quite a conundrum. How do we reap all the amazing benefits of polypropylene without mortgaging our future?

At Applied Bioplastics, we make plastic for manufacturers that is cost competitive, globally scalable, and most importantly, emits significantly less carbon dioxide than traditional plastic. Our product is a thermoplastic that is melted and injection molded to create a huge range of durable products-- including the toys, tools, and technology mentioned earlier. The cost and quality are the same, but the carbon footprint is vastly reduced compared to traditional polypropylene production in several ways.

Firstly, the cultivation of large amounts of plant fiber sequesters carbon in the soil, as well as in the plant itself. Secondly, by reducing the amount of propylene required to make the final plastic goods, we reduce the amount of extraction and refining required. Lastly, our plant fiber does not degrade within our durable polymer composites, trapping the carbon inside.

We are able to compete directly with legacy plastics on price because we use abundant, renewable, and most importantly, inexpensive and widely available plant material. This means we are able to improve sustainability without changing the cost or method of manufacturing.

With our technology, plastic manufacturers can bind cellulose with existing plastics, reducing the carbon footprint of each kilogram of final product by a minimum of 43%.

ALEX BLUM

Co-founder and Chief Impact Officer of Applied Bioplastics