Global brands link with WWF to form bioplastic alliance

Big consumer brands such as Nike, Procter & Gamble, Unilever and Coca-Cola and the conservation group WWF have launched the Bioplastic Feedstock Alliance (BFA), which will promote the development of plant-based plastics.


The aim of the BFA will be to guide “the responsible selection and harvesting of feedstocks – such as sugarcane, corn, bulrush and switchgrass – used to make plastics from agricultural materials”.

The organisation, which also includes Ford, Heinz, Nestle and Danone, intends to bring together experts form industry and academia to develop and support “science, collaboration, education and innovation and to help guide the evaluation and sustainable development of bioplastic feedstocks”.

A number of companies across the globe are looking to use plant-based plastics in their products. For example, packaging giant Tetra Pak recently told edie that it was considering a roll-out of bio-based polyethylene in its carton packs across the world if a trial in Brazil is successful. More of its customers demand the product.

The WWF also said that consumers across the world are increasingly looking “for more sustainable products, including those made from plant-based plastics”.

Speaking about the new bioplastic alliance, WWF senior programme office for packaging Erin Simon said: “This alliance will go a long way in ensuring the responsible management of natural resources used to meet the growing demand for bioplastics. 

“Ensuring that our crops are used responsibly to create bioplastics is a critical conservation goal, especially as the global population is expected to grow rapidly through 2050.”

Liz Gyekye

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