TotalEnergies Corbion highlights PLA as a solution to global plastic waste pollution

The UN’s recent efforts to address the climate crisis by tackling issues related to packaging are seen as “really positive” by Thomas Philipon, CEO at TotalEnergies Corbion.

We sit down with Philipon to discuss the company’s stance on the recently concluded COP 29 and INC-5, their potential impact on the plastic and bioplastic packaging industries and the solutions to plastic waste pollution that the company aims to bring to the table.

“We see the COP-29 climate goals as pivotal and critical. We all understand that we cannot afford to continue at the same pace, pace, and need to reduce our carbon footprints. The COP-29, the INC-5 negotiations for a plastic treaty and the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals are really good initiatives that help align and gather effort in the industry,” Philipon tells Packaging Insights.

“TotalEnergies Corbion is a joint venture between two industry giants and we are very busy finding sustainable solutions using the innovative material called polylactic acid (PLA).”

“Our brand name is Luminy PLA, and what we do is pretty simple. We bring to life an alternative to commercial plastic solutions based on PLA. Our solution is functional, but at the same time, it also reduces the impact of packaging on the environment. It has a good value proposition at its ‘start of life’ as it is completely renewable, but it also has a different type of ‘end of life’ — it can be recycled as well as composted.”

Global efforts on plastic

Philippon asserts that TotalEnergies Corbion sees a need to continue “to align, accelerate and engage.”

“Alignment is definitely the link between all the different international organizations’ initiatives,” he says.

“A global plastic treaty would be a very nice way to help us align and coordinate actions because we have so many solutions, but we really need frameworks to push them to the market.”

“Everybody is noticing the changes that we see around us across the globe, so we really need to accelerate and collaborate.”

Philipon says that TotalEnergies Corbion is “really looking forward to seeing the result” of global developments such as COP-29 and INC-5. “We’re actually actively participating in them and proposing solutions. We are here to help, and our compostable packaging could be one solution.”

Recycling and composting bioplastics

TotalEnergies Corbion’s Luminy PLA.TotalEnergies Corbion is the leading global bioplastic Poly Lactic Acid (PLA) developer. The company’s CEO states that Luminy PLA could be one solution that addresses the packaging industry’s carbon emission issue.

“As you may know, most food packaging, which is stained or has any leftover food, would normally end up in the landfill. This is a problem because of the amount of methane that this releases, which is much more potent than CO2.” 

“The compostable packaging we propose could get such (food) packaging out of landfills. Instead, it could be collected in a composting center where it decomposes together with organic matter without the high release of methane. Compostable solutions based on PLA bioplastic could be a good solution to reduce the exhaust of the dangerous gas in the atmosphere and reduce our impact on the environment.”

Philipon asserts that there are many advancements in recycling technology that the packaging industry can really benefit from in terms of improving sustainability.

“For example, there is tech already installed in most of the sorting centers across the world. It is a machine used at the start of the recycling stream, which helps divert the different types of plastic material.”

“Now we also have access to a technology called near-infrared technology, which is able to detect if a material is a polypropylene or polyethylene. Some programs can detect PLA among the rest. With this technology, we can ensure that the right material gets into the right bin, and then we can do the magic of recycling.”

The second example of tech advancement he shares relates to the advanced or chemical recycling of PLA. “It is completely possible and pretty easy to chemically recycle PLA. The energy consumption of of this process, hydrolysis, is much less than, for example, the recycling by pyrolysis, and it’s pretty affordable.”

“It gives solutions that we want to pitch to groups and international organizations because we believe we can offer more solutions than what is known.”

Product functionality

Discussing how TotalEnergies Corbion maintains a balance between packaging effectiveness and reducing environmental impact, Philipon says: “Every single application that we bring to the market has this target first and foremost — to be functional and to be on the same level as the commercial plastic option. That’s definitely a given.”

“I believe we are all consumers, and we definitely don’t want to have lower-performing packaging. And that is something I learned the hard way after 20 years in the industry. You cannot have any trade-offs there. Whether it is the functional performance, the shelf life or the impurity level, we cannot have trade-offs.” 

“Having said that, PLA, and bioplastics in general, have made so much progress. When I first arrived in the industry, I realized that PLA could only be used for shopping bags or thermal food trays. But that is not the case anymore.”

Luminy PLA can be used for rigid food packaging, flexible packaging, food serviceware and more.He says that, nowadays, PLA can have numerous applications, such as face masks made from non-woven PLA, stretch blow molding bottles and coffee mugs.

Luminy PLA’s applications further include rigid food packaging, flexible packaging, food serviceware, durable goods, non-wovens and 3D printing. 

“All these are advancements many don’t know about, but that is possible. So not only is PLA functional, but it also creates a lot of value for society while having a very low impact on the environment.” 

Philipon highlights that bioplastic has the same functionality as commercial plastic while impacting the environment less. “PLA, in order of magnitude, has a 75% lower carbon footprint than conventional plastic.” 

“While conventional plastic has helped society in many ways, we all understand that its use went a bit overboard. Most of the time, PLA is put in the same category as conventional plastic, but we need to understand the different impact of this material on the environment.”