The missing gap to make bioplastics sustainable in Japan

Bioplastics are seen as a clean alternative to the utilization of regular plastic. They are typically made from renewable sources such as corn starch, food waste, and vegetable fats and oils. Although this alternative has many pros, it is also important to look at the downside of using it. There is often a common misconception that bioplastics are a clear path to 100% sustainability. Unfortunately, even this alternative source has drawbacks.

Before diving into the pros and cons, let’s look at what is currently happening in Japan. The country is one of the biggest offenders when it comes to the use of traditional plastics. It isn’t rare to walk into a convenience store and have your items separated into two or three different bags. Japan has been one of the leaders in the production of plastic for years and is the world’s second-largest consumer of plastics per capita. However, the use of single-use plastics within the country by consumers has declined over the past decade due to increasing awareness of the material’s devastation within the country’s oceans, mountains and cities. Moreover, there is growing pressure for the government to tackle this issue, with more than two-thirds of the public demanding action. Japan is now scrambling to find proper alternatives, and this includes the use of bioplastics.

Japanese companies have begun investing heavily in new technologies that include bioplastics. Kao Corporation has pledged to produce an annual amount of 200 million bottles of low environmental impact, including bioplastics. Kuraray, another Japanese company, has invested $15 million in a power plant within the US that can produce bioplastics for packaging. These seem like steps in the right direction. However, it is imperative to understand how we could benefit from bioplastics and how we could also create devastating drawbacks that may do more harm than good.

Now let us take a look at the pros of using bioplastics. As mentioned earlier, bioplastics are made using biodegradable sources such as corn starch and food waste. First off, bioplastics are non-toxic and won’t release harmful chemicals or toxins into food and soil. Whereas plastics lead to estrogen-like chemical contamination in food, bioplastics can break down into compounds that are considered harmless and safe. Bioplastics can also be recycled, cleanly incinerated, as well as composted. This also could make it the perfect source for food packaging since both the packaging and food waste can be incinerated together.

One argument supporting the use of bioplastics is its low carbon footprint. However, this may not be entirely true. High energy and costs are required to manufacture bioplastics. Due to fertilizer costs, transportation, and harvesting, the energy needed to produce crops to create bioplastics is still quite high. Not to mention that the water consumption used to create bioplastics also adds to the devastating toll of depleting resources.

Bioplastics don’t fare well in landfills too. Landfills are seen as a last resort fix regarding garbage and waste disposal. Many people probably think that bioplastics may naturally biodegrade in our city’s trash sites and dumps, but this is simply not true. Organic materials have a hard time breaking down in landfills because these last-stop trash dumps are not designed for such a process. Moreover, bioplastics do not break down as easily as some may imagine. The decomposition process usually involves industrial composters for processing.

Unfortunately, we also do not have large enough facilities that are capable of composting or recycling bioplastics. This will lead to more contaminants in our soils, landfills, and other areas around the planet. Without proper disposal, bioplastics can be just as bad or even worse than the use of plastics. So, in other words, it is plausible to say that bioplastics are an ideal solution, but is far away from being a realistic answer to our global sustainability problem.

One large solution for the use of plastic is glass. Glass has the potential to be 100% recyclable and can be used repeatedly without losing its integrity. Moreover, it has the potential to go from the recycling bin to the shelf in less than thirty days. Although the substance is not a one-stop solution, it could be a step in the right direction, especially for countries like Japan.

The use of bioplastics is an incredible idea when it comes to tackling devastating plastic waste. However, the technology, costs, and overall low sustainability still have a very long way to go. It is also important that companies promoting bioplastics as sustainable are transparent regarding how devastating bioplastics could be to the environment. Companies such as Kao are making huge investments to move away from plastics by investing heavily in industrial sites that provide safe and proper methods to produce and break down bioplastic material.

It is also up to the public to become more aware of littering bioplastic packaging. It is still a common misconception that bioplastics will just degrade naturally when this is not true. Proper disposal is required to prevent the deterioration of our environmental climate. Companies, as well as consumers, have a responsibility to educate themselves regarding how to properly purchase and throw away bioplastics.