1. Innovation, compostables and the bioeconomy
Lucy Montgomery

2. A specialist business consultancy with over 15 years of bioeconomy experience
NNFCC specialises in bio-based applications, providing expertise on legislation, markets, sustainability and project feasibility.

3. Bioeconomy & packaging

4. Bioeconomy & packaging
bio-based products

5. Bioeconomy & packaging
bio-based products
biological processes

6. Bioeconomy & packaging
bio-based products
biological technologies

7. Bioeconomy & packaging
bio-based products
biological technologies
composting, anaerobic digestion, gasification/pyrolysis

8. Bioeconomy & packaging
bio-based products
biological technologies
composting, anaerobic digestion, gasification/pyrolysis

9. Bioeconomy & packaging
Do we have enough biomass to make biobased packaging?
Why dispose of packaging and food waste as compost?
bio-based products
biological technologies
composting, anaerobic digestion, gasification/pyrolysis

10. Bioeconomy & packaging
Do we have enough biomass to make biobased packaging?
Why dispose of packaging and food waste as compost?
bio-based products
biological technologies
composting, anaerobic digestion, gasification/pyrolysis

11. The case for composting
nutrient exhaustion
topsoil erosion
need to bring carbon, nitrogen, potassium and other elements back to soil

12. Compost in particular is a very stable form of carbon
WRAP - Using quality compost to benefit crops

14. We already compost plastics
Food waste and other biomass is contaminated with plastic
Current standards (PAS100, PAS 110) allow plastics (<0.5%) because unavoidable
Potentially putting 10s kgs per ha per year
Use of compostable plastics combined with appropriate disposal methods can address this problem

15. Bioeconomy & packaging
Do we have enough biomass to make biobased packaging?
Why dispose of packaging and food waste as compost?
bio-based products
biological technologies
composting, anaerobic digestion, gasification/pyrolysis

16. UK compostable packaging consumption
Tonnes of plastic
Translation
2018
8,000 – 10,000
Current niche applications
2025
90,000 – 138,000
Food wrappers and containers
What kind of volumes are we looking at?
Ricardo EE (2019) ‘Plastics in the Bioeconomy’ report

17. UK bioeconomy UK currently has 2 bioethanol plants
Use feed grain from Yorkshire & surrounds

18. UK bioeconomy UK currently has 2 bioethanol plants
Use feed grain from Yorkshire & surrounds
Could be converted to PLA
At full capacity, they could produce PLA at 1,000,000 tonnes

19. UK bioeconomy UK currently has 2 bioethanol plants
Use feed grain from Yorkshire & surrounds
Could be converted to PLA
At full capacity, they could produce PLA at 1,000,000 tonnes
90, ,000 tonnes compostable packaging by 2025

21. Lignocellulosic feedstocks in UK: 15.6 million tonnes
NNFCC (2014) Lignocellulosic feedstock in the UK 

23. Emerging technologies
plastic from biogas / syngas / CO2 and H2

24. Conclusions
We need to use compostable plastics to prevent plastics going to land
We have enough feedstock to make compostable plastics

25. Promoting Bio-innovation in Europe

27. Current compostable plastics
3% of UK’s starch demand
3% of UK’s glucose demand
4,200 tonnes starch
3,300 tonnes glucose
2,400 tonnes PLA
Or 0.6% of UK’s starch production

28. Current compostable plastics
petroleum based
biobased

29. Current compostable plastics
4,200 tonnes starch
2,400 tonnes PLA

30. 2025 compostable plastics 42,000 tonnes starch 24,000 tonnes PLA

31. Food wrappers and containers
Scenarios
Tonnes of plastic
Translation
2018
8,000 – 10,000
Niche applications
2025
90,000 – 138,000
Food wrappers and containers
Future?
1,5000,000
All consumer packaging
What kind of volumes are we looking at?