The Bioplastics Feedstock Alliance (BFA) includes The Coca-Cola Company, Danone, Ford, H.J. Heinz Company, Nike, P&G, and Unilever.
It will look for sustainable alternatives to petroleum-based products, to guide the selection and harvesting of agricultural materials - such as sugar cane, corn, bulrush, and switchgrass to make bioplastics.
A sustainable future
Anne Roulin, global research and development sustainability manager, Nestlé, said the purpose of the alliance is to build a sustainable future for the bioplastics industry whilst focusing on issues such as land use, food security and biodiversity.
The company already uses bioplastics from sugar cane and it launched several Vittel water bottles made from 30% plant-based materials, last year.
“Nestlé is particularly interested in second generation bioplastics, made, for example, from the by-products of forestry, agriculture or the food chain – such as molasses or cane residue – or non-food sources such as algae, cellulose and waste products,” added Roulin.
Industry experts and academia
The BFA will bring together experts from industry, academia and society to develop and support science, collaboration and education for the development of materials that can be made into bioplastics.
“Ensuring our crops are used responsibly to create bioplastics is a critical conservation goal, especially as the global population is expected to grow rapidly by 2050,” said Erin Simon, WWF.