Tackling the plastic crisis

Tackling the global plastic crisis

The ever increasing plastic production, and the plastic waste that follows, impose a fundamental threat to our planet and the humankind. Read about the problem that Sulapac is set to solve.

4x times more plastic – more burden for environment

Plastics are now the growth driver for the petrochemical industry, contributing to the overall rise of oil consumption.

About 460 million tonnes of plastic is being produced every year which all too often ends up in the wrong place. And once plastic has ended up in nature it remains there forever – accumulating and having an impact on every ecosystem. The oil-based plastic production is estimated to grow four times bigger during the next 30 years, this significantly affects the CO2 burden of our planet, which will have hazardous effect on the biodiversity.

Fossil-based plastic production fuels global warming

Plastics industry is the fastest-growing source of industrial greenhouse gases in the world.

By 2040 the plastic value chain is expected to account for almost 20% of the global carbon budget.

We can’t recycle our way out of the plastic crisis

Replacing conventional plastics with safer material innovations should be priority.

Reducing, reusing and recycling are still key methods for circularity and saving the natural resources. But why the oil-based plastic production is still increasing although the utilization of recycled plastics is favored? This is because plastics can be mechanically recycled only once and virgin plastic is always needed with the new products. So what happens then to the plastic waste? Unfortunately, most of it ends up in the nature or it is burned. Even in the most optimistic scenarios only 37% of plastic packaging will be recycled by 2050.

Microplastics threaten the well-being of our planet – and the future of humankind

Our oceans are filling up with plastic that degrades into smaller and smaller pieces of microplastics, eventually ending up in our bodies.

If we zoom in the microscopic level of the plastic waste problem, we notice that it gets even worse. There is no efficient way to clean microplastics that just keep accumulating. These tiny particles are already in the oceans, among pollen carried by bees, and our lungs. Currently, we ingest 5 grams of plastic a week, the equivalent of a credit card. There are already various studies that have linked microplastics to human autoimmune diseases and cancer, not to mention the effects on the early stages of the food chain. The damage on biodiversity is evident.

Biobased, biodegradable materials – key to sustainable change

A crucial part of the solution is transitioning away from conventional fossil-based plastics to biobased, biodegradable alternatives. That’s where Sulapac comes in. We have developed a portfolio of materials that enables brands to replace traditional plastics with more sustainable options — without compromising functionality or aesthetics.

Sulapac materials contain 70–100% biobased content and leave behind no permanent microplastics or toxic chemicals. Switching from conventional plastics to Sulapac can lead to significant reductions in CO₂ emissions: Sulapac materials can offer up to a 10× lower carbon footprint compared to the plastics they replace. Furthermore, our materials are recyclable by design, ensuring the long-term feasibility and global scalability of the solution.

Learn more about our material solutions and join the circle of changemakers – together, we can turn the tide on plastic.

Learn more

Scientific background

Deep dive into our material features and learn about the scientific criteria and validation behind them.