A group of progressive businesses and environmental leaders have jointly launched the Plant Based Products Council (PBPC) at the California Air Resources Board’s California Bioresources Economy Summit.
Image: PBPC will guide global economy towards sustainable consumer products packaging through use of plant-based materials. Photo: Courtesy of Rawich/FreeDigitalPhotos.net.
The PBPC has been launched to guide the global economy towards more sustainable and responsible consumer products and packaging through increased use of plant-based materials.
The new council said it will promote the adoption and use of products derived from renewable biomass.
It will also support private sector programs and government policies to promote the use of renewable materials and feedstocks, like policies to minimize carbon emissions, enhance water quality and soil health, and curtail solid waste destined for landfills by purposeful closed loop end-of-life strategies through recycling and composting.
Corn Refiners Association president and CEO John Bode said: “Businesses and consumers alike recognize the need to solve the problem of plastic pollution that harms our environment.
“The PBPC will seek plant-based solutions, bringing together government, non-profit, and corporate entities to address environmental challenges while driving economic opportunity.”
PBPC includes large and small businesses that produce, distribute, or sell products or packaging from renewable biomass inputs, along with those organizations committed to sustainability, as members. The PBPC also features an Advisory Board consisting of leading environmental organizations and NGOs.
GreenBlue executive director Nina Goodrich said: “This initiative adds much needed diversity to a changing conversation. The Plant Based Product Council is an exciting new voice seeking sustainable packaging solutions to our material recovery challenges.”
The PBPC ha released the result of the polling conducted in August 2018, which reinforces the impression that millennial consumers are supportive of bio-plastics and even willing to pay more for them.
University of California vice president for agriculture and natural resources Glenda Humiston said: “My hope is that this new council will greatly aid UC ANR’s efforts to pursue forest health and improve farm profitability by finding new, more valuable products made from biomass.”
The founding member companies of the new council include: Georgia Pacific, Archer Daniels Midland, Cargill, Tate & Lyle, Ingredion, WestRock-Multi Packaging Solutions, Stone Straw, Loliware, Visolis Biotechnology, Newtrient, Future iQ, Emerald Brands, Hemp Road Trip, Hemp Industries Association, and Tree Free Hemp.
GreenBlue, Californians Against Waste, International Conservation Caucus Foundation, University of California Division of Agriculture and Natural Resources, and Professor Ramani Narayan, of Michigan State University’s Department of Chemical Engineering & Materials Science will serve on PBPC’s advisory board.