Chinese plastics makers are switching to biodegradable materials as Beijing stresses on pollution-free economic progress
- The prospect of impending government regulations against single-use plastic packaging is causing companies to ramp up biodegradable plastic production
- Biodegradable plastics made from agricultural sources such as corn and sugar cane are emerging as an alternative to traditional petroleum based products
Lou Zhongping, dubbed the “king of plastic straws”, is changing his strategy.
The founder and chairman of Saton Daily Necessities is spending US$15 million to double the size of his factory in Yiwu, Zhejiang province to produce biodegradable straws, Plastic News reported earlier this month.
Lou has good reason for the switch. Orders for biodegradable straws made from polylactide acid (PLA) – a type of biodegradable plastic raw material – have exploded in the past few months from 4 per cent of total orders, amid rising concerns from consumers over the detrimental effect of plastic products on the environment.
Chinese President Xi Jinping stressed the importance of ecologically sound development in his address to delegates at the “two sessions” gathering in Beijing earlier this month. He has made pollution control and environmental governance top priorities.
Chinese plastics makers, responsible for 29 per cent of the global plastic production, are increasing the use of corn, sugar and other crops to develop biodegradable plastics, as concerns about pollution has spurred directives from Beijing and the prospect of a ban on single-use, non-biodegradable plastics such as cutlery, plastic bags and packaging.
China’s production of polylactide acid (PLA), a type of biodegradable plastic raw material, is expected to rise quickly from a very small base.