TotalEnergies Corbion’s sugarcane-based bioplastic lands EU climate regulation certification

07 Jun 2023 --- TotalEnergies Corbion has announced that its Luminy Polylactic Acid (PLA) bioplastics meet the EU Taxonomy Regulation criteria on climate change mitigation and adaptation.

Bioplastics reduce fossil fuel dependency and support a circular, local-for-local economy due to multiple end-of-life options. Luminy PLA is a certified 100% bio-based polymer that can replace conventional plastics in many applications.

The EU Taxonomy Regulation is critical for sustainable innovation because it sets a standard for what can be labeled as “sustainable” in business in the EU. The regulation intends to help increase environmentally sustainable investment and further drive the implementation of the European Green Deal.

The regulation’s framework uses six environmental objectives including climate change mitigation, climate change adaptation, and sustainable use and protection of water and marine resources. It also includes the transition to a circular economy, pollution prevention and control, and protection and restoration of biodiversity and ecosystems.

“TotalEnergies Corbion continues to work closely with lawmakers, regulators and non-governmental organizations as we push to create more sustainable plastic alternatives,” says Maelenn Ravard, the company’s sustainability and regulatory manager.

Luminy PLA can replace conventional plastics in many applications. Luminy PLA
In addition to compliance with the EU Taxonomy Regulation, the company’s line of Luminy PLA is certified as fully bio-based according to EN16785 and the USDA biopreferred program. “Our production plant is ISO-certified for environmental management, quality and safety and we follow the regulations set by the World Wildlife Fund’s sugarcane industry organization Bonsucro.”

Luminy PLA bioplastics are derived from sugarcane, an annually renewable resource, and are among the few bioplastic types that are bio-based and biodegradable. As outlined in the “Planting the Future with PLA,” whitepaper, creating a kilogram of PLA requires 1.75 square meters of sugarcane farmland, which captures 1.8 kg of CO2 from the atmosphere as it grows.

TotalEnergies Corbion’s entire production capacity requires just 0.08% of arable land in Thailand, where the company produces PLA locally. The company asserts that the efficiency of land use and the benefits of carbon capture make PLA bioplastics a good option for reducing global reliance on fossil-based plastics.

The production of bio-based Luminy PLA has a 75% reduced carbon footprint, including biogenic carbon, compared to conventional plastics. The company says that its peer-reviewed LCA analyses contain a more detailed overview of the global warming potential and of how Luminy PLA performs in other environmental impact categories such as carbon footprint, water footprint and direct land use change.

Conventional plastics alternative
The sugarcane crops absorb carbon from the atmosphere while growing and storing it in their biomass, called biogenic carbon. This carbon is then transferred to the value chain to end up in the PLA final product. When incinerating the PLA plastic product, the biogenic carbon will be released back into the atmosphere, making the process neutral.

TotalEnergies Corbion’s Luminy PLA bioplastics enable businesses to transition to more sustainable materials without compromising on quality or performance. The company says that the material provides a viable alternative to conventional plastics, aligning with the EU Taxonomy Regulation’s objectives and supporting the global shift toward a more sustainable future.

Meanwhile, TotalEnergies Corbion, Posco International and ESOL have partnered to develop recycling infrastructure and technology for PLA in South Korea, in line with the government’s framework for carbon neutrality.

While Posco International oversees and finances the project, ESOL is responsible for retrieving the post-consumer recycled PLA waste and advancing technology to collect, sort, clean, purify and rework the PLA. Additionally, TotalEnergies Corbion supports the project with data and experience in advanced PLA recycling.

Edited by Natalie Schwertheim

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