Future Prospects
Environmentally friendly towards the environment, humanity, and the future.
We will continue to strive to do what we can and should do now.
3R Policy
In accordance with the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) reached by UN member countries in 2015, we will work towards achieving the government-promoted “3R policy”:
Recycle
- Recycling and reusing resources, collecting materials that would otherwise be discarded and turning them into new useful objects.
Reuse
- Leaving items that can be used for those in need.
- Requesting suppliers to take back packaging materials for reuse.
Reduce
- Improving process controls to reduce waste.
- Purchasing products with minimal packaging to reduce waste.
- Choosing products with replaceable materials.
- Reducing the use of disposable items.
Bioplastic
Biobased Plastics | Biodegradable Plastics | |
---|---|---|
Manufacturing Material | Biobased plastics are made from biological resources such as plants and microorganisms. | Biodegradable plastics can be naturally broken down by microorganisms in the environment. Manufacturing materials can include starch, polylactic acid (PLA), polyhydroxyalkanoates (PHA), etc. |
Renewability | They usually come from renewable resources like plant starch, polylactic acid (PLA), etc. | These plastics usually come from biodegradable raw materials and have better ecological sustainability. |
Nature | Biobased plastics can be biopolymers or biocopolymers, similar to traditional petroleum-based plastics. They may not necessarily have biodegradable properties, as some can be partially biodegradable, while others may not be easily decomposable. | Biodegradable plastics can naturally decompose into water, carbon dioxide, and organic matter under suitable conditions. |
Environmental Impact | The manufacturing process of biobased plastics often reduces adverse effects on the Earth’s environment, but they do not necessarily possess biodegradable characteristics. | These plastics have better ecological sustainability, as they can naturally degrade in the appropriate environment, reducing persistent impacts on the environment. |
In summary, biobased plastics emphasize the biological origin of materials, while biodegradable plastics focus on the decomposable nature in the natural environment. Some biobased plastics have biodegradable properties, but not all biobased plastics share this characteristic.
Future Prospects
Biobased plastics are positioned as essential materials for environmental measures.
Why choose biobased resources?
Due to the ongoing use of fossil resources such as petroleum leading to global warming, countries worldwide have begun to recognize this crisis. In 2015, they established the agenda for achieving a sustainable society, known as the “SDGs.” One effective response is to utilize renewable organic resources, known as “biomass.”
The use of fossil resources not only increases carbon dioxide in the atmosphere but also contributes to global warming. However, by utilizing carbon-neutral “biomass resources,” which absorb carbon dioxide during their growth, we can achieve a mechanism of “carbon neutrality” that essentially does not increase the amount of greenhouse gases (carbon dioxide) during standby.
The concept of “carbon neutrality” is based on the idea that the carbon in biomass resources was originally fixed in plants through photosynthesis during their growth. Therefore, even if burning biomass resources produces carbon dioxide, it is essentially not increasing the amount of carbon dioxide in standby.
LEE CHIA’s Recommendation
LEE CHIA recommends using plant-based biomaterials:
Rice, wheat, and corn are the three major global cereals grown extensively worldwide and used as staple foods.
Unwanted plant materials such as husks and bran generated by these cereals are mixed with polypropylene/thermoplastic rubber to form an environmentally friendly biopolymer.