Bioplastic future: using bioplastics to transform domestic plastic production
THE QUESTION
Can conventional plastic production facilities be retrofitted to produce bioplastics?
LOCATION: Nepal
SECTOR: Circular Economy, Manufacturing
TECH: Clean tech
TIMELINE: September 2023 - Present
PIONEER: Ugan Manandhar
PARTNERS: Utopia
The Challenge
Single use plastics are deeply embedded in our societies and are a major factor of pollution. In Kathmandu, Nepal, 4.8 million plastic bags are consumed daily, making up 15% of the valley’s total waste stream that ends up in open air landfill, rivers or being burned. The Himalayas are the water tower of the region and plastics end up in the Bay of Bengal, polluting water sources. Each bag takes up to 500 years to fully biodegrade, and in the process, pollutes soil and water through leachate and air through burning – in addition to the carbon impact of its sourcing, production, transportation and consumption.
Recognizing the scale of the problem, in 2019 the Government of Nepal legally banned the use of plastic bags and other single-use plastic items (e.g. straws, cups, and plates). However, there has been no enforcement of the ban and consistent demand from users due to no suitable alternative.
The Idea
There is an acute need to replace harmful, carbon-intensive plastics with a bio-based, compostable product that has similar characteristics and functions – e.g. strength, water tightness, transparency, thickness, size.
This pilot aims to retrofit conventional plastics production facilities to produce bioplastics. Currently there are no bio-based, compostable bioplastics produced or available in Nepal, and there is a distinct opportunity to capitalize on existing production capacity and equipment within the plastic production supply chain. This pilot will seek to test and create a strong bioplastics market through addressing supply by increasing bioplastic production capacity and demand through building strong use cases with clients and end users.
If successful and users are incentivised to use bioplastics, it can lead to reduced pollution and increased economic opportunities.
