BFA
Coca-Cola, Danone, Ford, Heinz, Nestle, Nike, Procter & Gamble, Unilever and the World Wildlife Fund have announced the formation of the Bioplastic Feedstock Alliance (BFA) in order to “support the responsible development of plastics made from plant material, helping build a more sustainable future for the bioplastics industry.”
The primary focus of BFA will be on guiding the responsible selection and harvesting of feedstocks — such as sugar cane, corn, bulrush, and switchgrass — used to make plastics from agricultural materials. As the development of these renewable materials has grown, so has the opportunity to address their potential impacts on land use, food security, and biodiversity. The BFA group says it intends to bring together experts from industry, academia and civil society to develop and support informed science, collaboration, education, and innovation to help guide the evaluation and sustainable development of bioplastic feedstocks.
“This alliance will go a long way in ensuring the responsible management of natural resources used to meet the growing demand for bioplastics,” said Erin Simon, of WWF. “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.”
The Alliance’s eight founding companies, along with WWF, are supported by academic experts, supply chain partners, suppliers, and technology development companies, all of whom are focusing on a variety of issues and possible tools within the growing bioplastic industry.
