BIO-BASED MATERIALS

To start this chapter, join us in a straightforward exercise: stop reading and look around you. What do you see? Focus on objects in your surroundings and the place that you are in. Now answer this question: how many of the objects that you see are made of bio-based materials? This might be a challenging question to answer if you're unfamiliar with different materials and need to learn all the components of various objects.

Let's turn to labels for help. For instance, the clothes you're wearing should indicate the percentages of the materials they are made of. Ilaria Brambilla noticed that her t-shirt is 100% cotton, while her pants are 58% Modal, 31% Viscose, and 11% Elastane. Modal is a fiber produced from the wood pulp of beech trees; first made in the 1960s as a variation of rayon. Viscose, too, is derived from cellulose and known for its silk-like shine, hence its old name, "artificial silk," and also known as Rayon. Conversely, Elastane is a polyurethane synthetic fiber widely used to add stretch to fabrics. Ilaria could be relatively satisfied with her purchasing choices, assuming that natural materials are more sustainable than artificial ones. However, “natural” doesn’t always equal “low environmental impact.” This chapter on bio-based materials will explain why.

Image source: Canva AI.

Bio-Based Materials hold great potential to decarbonize key industries and create regenerative alternatives; however, entrepreneurs, designers and businesses must also develop critical thinking to pursue actual sustainability options that are not greenwashing, or connected to other negative externalities. First of all, what do we mean by bio-based? Bio-based materials are partially or entirely derived from biomass and are free of fossil-fuel-based components, but not necessarily free of fossil-fuel-based processes. While common materials like wood and paper can be considered as such, 'bio’ materials are those that, in addition to being made from renewable biological resources, are produced through a series of extensive processes.

When we talk about biological materials, we refer to all those solutions that could replace some of the materials we've used in the last century. In general, bio-based materials have lower impact compared to conventional materials, but in life cycle assessment (LCA), we must also consider greenhouse gas emissions related to land use changes, eutrophication, and ozone depletion, which in their case can have a significant environmental impact. Thus, upon more detailed inspection and longitudinal studies, many bio-based options have actually proven to be unsustainable, including: air and water pollution; contributions to global warming; destruction of ecosystems and biodiversity; contribution to landfill waste; and more. Essentially, when opting for a new bio-based material for purchase or in your production line, it's essential to analyze the lifecycle performance and long-term environmental impacts. The environment (i.e. degradation is faster in the sea than on land), the thickness of the product (tends to be proportional to the degradation rate), and the type of biopolymer (blends can be more or less resistant) can all impact the sustainability of a bio-based material (see Better Alternatives 3.0).

This caveat aside, relying on bio-based materials is necessary for our future. In fact, the transition makes it possible to reduce the use of plastics (macro, micro and nanoplastics) that are the main threat to ecosystems - especially marine, but not only - but also to reduce overall extraction and use of fossil sources that underpin our economies. At the latest UNEP Intergovernmental Negotiating Committee on Plastic Pollution, UN Secretary Antonio Guterres declared “Plastics are fueling the climate crisis. By 2040, up to 19% of global greenhouse gas emissions will stem from plastics. To meet the goal of 1.5-degree global temperature rise & to beat plastic pollution, we need a plastics treaty that reduces plastic production.” Relying on bio-based materials is necessary for our future. In fact, the transition makes it possible to reduce the use of plastics (macro, micro, and nanoplastics) that are the main threat to ecosystems-especially marine, but not only-but also to reduce overall extraction and use of fossil sources that underpin our economies. This is why bio-based solutions can have a huge impact. Not only that: they are key to solving the problem of food waste, and agricultural waste, and reducing the carbon footprint.

In this chapter we discuss the advantages and disadvantages of bio-based materials. This is a theme that virtually affects any industry, and in the space we have. Fashion, construction, and the biofuels and bioeconomy in particular illustrate the opportunities of using these materials. Here are some original innovations from these and other fields: