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08/14/2006 01:39 PM
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Plastic from Plants, Not Petroleum Page 3 |
- A reduction in the amount of plastic sent to a landfill, where it can last for hundreds of years;
- Support for the market for products made of renewable resources;
- A reduction in the amount of persistent, bio-accumulative, and toxic chemicals released into the environment from the manufacturing and disposal of plastics; and
- For businesses, capture the new niche of consumers willing to pay slightly higher prices for green products.
Issues Associated with Biobased Products
Concern about genetically modified organisms (GMOs) and conventional farming practices. As much as 50% of the U.S. corn supply used for PLA is genetically modified - without paying an extra premium, it's difficult to ensure products are GMO-free.
NatureWorks LLC is aware of customer sensitivity and has developed a program to allow PLA manufacturers to purchase offsets, for a price premium of roughly $5/case. While the GMO molecules themselves do not survive the fermentation process, environmental organizations are concerned about PLA's potential to support conventional corn production, which also depends on petroleum-based fertilizers, pesticides etc.
The need to develop a compost program to achieve zero waste. Another challenge is the fact that few jurisdictions have an active commercial composting facility, making the zero-waste, biodegradable claim difficult to fulfill. When biobased products end up in landfills, the lack of heat and light slow the decomposition process. They decompose faster than traditional plastic, but not in the 80-120 days touted for compostable products.
Concern over contamination of recycling systems. If PLA products end up in recycling bins, it raises the concern that PLA could contaminate the PET plastic recycling processes. Since PLA currently makes up such a small percentage of the waste stream, it is not likely that it poses a great threat to recycling. To begin to address this concern, NatureWorks has launched a buy-back program to provide selected commercial recycling facilities an incentive to sort out the PLA and return it for recycling.
What does the future hold?
Dana Armanino, a sustainability planner for the County of Marin, stresses, "For us, it's about making incremental changes to encourage the market. There?s no silver bullet yet."
The County developed educational materials and signage to let customers understand the benefits of the new products, and launched the program in late April 2006.
To date, Ray's Catering and the County have been pleased with the quality of the products, and customers have responded positively to the change. And while the switch bit into Ray's Catering's profit margin, as a result of the media attention the new program received, they have received interest from new clients willing to pay a small premium to green their events.
Supervisor McGlashan says, "It's rippling out fast. Already there are other organizations taking a look at this switch." Santa Clara County, a local non-profit that uses disposable items in its operations, and the Oakland Chamber of Commerce (the City of Oakland recently banned polystyrene foam) have called the County, asking for advice on how to make a transition to biobased products.
It's also spreading nationally. Green Mountain Coffee Roasters and International Paper launched a PLA-lined coffee cup, and Sam's Club (division of WalMart), Newman's Own Organics, and Wild Oats are all using PLA containers.
Farley concludes, "It all boils down to price points. It is a question of when the price point gets down close to plastic -- that is the tipping point. The problem is that enough people have to use the products for the price to get to that point. And if anyone is suited to do that, it is public agencies or large companies that want to send the right message."
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Deborah Fleischer, founder and principal of Green Impact, works with socially responsible organizations to design and launch new sustainability projects that require the input and support of key stakeholders.
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