We all know that the disposal of plastic bottles has the lion's share of the global climate crisis. But are we really aware of this? In a world that produces 300 million pieces of plastic annually, we desperately wish we had other options! This is where the Dutch company Avantium can come to our aid. With the support of major companies such as Coca-Cola, Carlsberg and Danone, they are developing a "vegetable plastic" that could replace the classic plastic used in food chains.
Dutch company Avantium wants to reduce the market's dependence on fossil fuels, namely through the development of "vegetable plastics". The new, plastic-like material is made from corn, wheat and sugar beet. "This plastic has very attractive sustainability credentials as it does not use any fossil fuels and can be recycled - it would also degrade much faster in nature than conventional plastic," Avantium CEO Tom Van Aken told The Guardian newspaper.
This could make a big difference to the world, as plastic pollution is one of our biggest problems today, and it continues to grow. Plastic bottles and microplastic particles can be found on every beach in the world, and of course they also affect marine life.
In 1950, the world's population of 2.5 billion produced approximately 1.5 million tons of pastic. By 2016, more than 7 billion inhabitants produced more than 320 million tons of plastic. This one is expected to be the number grew and doubled by 2034. Therefore, all efforts to reduce plastic production are vital.
Myriam Shingleton, Group Vice President of Development at Carlsberg, stated that the company is expected to innovate all of its packaging. "We are pleased with the progress we have made so far in the development of the Green Fiver Bottle. Although we are not quite there yet, the prototypes are an important step towards realizing our ultimate ambition to bring this product to market.” he adds. It is expected that it will in 2023.
More information:
avantium.com
