Page 184 - CW E-Magazine (28-11-2023)

Special Report

Technology trends driving sustainable polymers

for a circular economy

reating a circular economy is an cular economy re- SONA DADHANIA
essential sustainability target for quires innovations Senior Technology Analyst
Cgovernments, brands, materials from all stakehol- IDTechEx
suppliers, and the public. Key to push- ders in the polymer
ing these sustainability efforts, which value chain, from of these plastics, through both well-
range from sustainability roadmaps the chemical suppli- established mechanical recycling and
developed by chemical and material ers to the end-users the more emerging advanced recycling,
companies, to sustainable material usage to the recyclers. For polymers, alter- is critical to establishing a truly circular
targets adopted by brands, is the danger native feedstocks such as carbon dioxide economy.
that growing global plastic consumption (CO ) and other bio-based inputs and
2
poses to the environment. The OECD production processes, like white bio- Each of these innovative areas has
estimates global plastic consumption to technology, show the diverse technical a range of technical challenges, as
double globally by 2050, and this plastic approaches to decreasing reliance on well as challenges affecting economic
is not only overfl owing in landfi lls, but fossil fuel resources for plastic produc- viability; the success and outlook for
a signifi cant portion is mismanaged and tion. each will depend on product properties,
leaks into the environment. the ‘green premium’, and the ability to
Just as important as the polymer decouple pricing from incumbent raw
As such, the need for more sustain- feedstock is the application of these materials, like crude oil.
able polymer options has never been more sustainable polymers, especially
more evident, with four major groups in sectors of high plastics demand like In this article, IDTechEx considers
driving this progression to greater sus- packaging, which accounts for one- some of the technology developments,
tainability across the polymer industry: third of annual plastic production. challenges, and the outlook of the
governments, retailers or brands, non- innovations affecting each part of the
governmental organizations (NGOs) or Lastly, the end-of-life recycling polymer value chain.
similar activist groups, and the public.
Lobbying, investments, pledges, con-
sumer spending habits, and more all
play a role, but it is likely regulation
and how they are monitored and
enforced that will be the most signifi cant.

Most notably, in 2023, United
Nations delegates from 180 countries
convened in Paris, France, to discuss
a treaty to end global plastic pollution,
with intentions to develop a fi rst draft
of the treaty by the end of the year.
Regional and national announcements
to curtail plastic usage and pollution are
also stacking up, with additional bans
on single-use plastic being introduced
in countries like the UK, Netherlands,
and elsewhere.

Answering this demand for more
sustainable plastics to support the cir- Source: IDTechEx.

184 Chemical Weekly November 28, 2023

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