Carbios’ biotechnologies recognized by consumers as the most promising solutions helping to solve the plastic pollution issue

• Carbios’ biorecycling and biodegradation technologies internationally recognized by consumers as the most promising answers to their top environmental concerns

• Carbios’ innovations considered best for solving recycling effectively and achieving a real plastic circularity

• Consumer research including qualitative and quantitative fields was conducted between March and August 2022. The research institute, Strategic Research, conducted 6000 interviews in Europe and USA

Carbios announced the results of a major consumer research study.

CARBIOS’ BIORECYCLING AND BIODEGRADATION TECHNOLOGIES ACCLAIMED BY CONSUMERS

During the first research field study, respondents were exposed to Carbios’ biorecycling process; a new enzyme-based biotechnology that enables biological recycling of all types of PET plastic waste (including bottles, packaging and textiles), and pushes the boundaries of recycling in terms of the number of cycles.

The research results clearly demonstrated that European and US respondents find Carbios’ biorecycling technology significantly more unique and innovative than traditional PET recycling (ie thermo-mechanical recycling). Importantly, respondents in all geographies find Carbios’ biorecycling technology more relevant in its ability to address their concerns and challenges regarding recycling.

In the second research study, conducted in the US, respondents were also exposed to Carbios’ biodegradation technology: an innovative enzymatic solution by which an enzyme is incorporated into plastics during the production process of bio-sourced PLA plastics (corn, sugar cane). This unique approach makes the material made from plants 100% compostable at ambient temperatures and degradable like plants with the built-in enzyme biologically breaking the bioplastic down in less than eight weeks without microplastics or toxic residues; creating a fully organic circularity.

Similarly to Carbios’ biorecycling technology, Carbios’ PLA biodegradation innovation caught US respondents’ attention with 64% overall liking it. Additionally, 93% of the respondents sampled described the concept as innovative, unique, easy to understand (49%), and believable (43%). Up to 82% of the most environmentally engaged respondents declared they would definitely buy more products made with Carbios’ fully circular biodegradable bioplastic.

“Although we need to expand consumer awareness in the months and years to come, these results are very positive and extremely encouraging for the future of Carbios’ enzyme-based biotechnologies. It has never been clearer to the whole plastic industry that consumers are calling for solutions that truly accelerate the transition to plastic circularity,” said Emmanuel Ladent, Carbios’ Chief Executive Officer.

CONSUMERS CLAIM THERE IS NO OTHER CHOICE BUT TO MAKE PLASTIC FULLY CIRCULAR

The research says 99% of the respondents consider it important to protect the environment, while plastic pollution is now ranked the third most-concerning environmental issues after climate change and ocean pollution.

This awareness brings most of these consumers to be environmentally active when it comes to purchasing goods and sorting. For the US respondents, eco-friendly packaging comes in the fourth place in terms of purchase drivers for packaged goods and 65% of them declare sorting plastic from general waste on a regular basis, which makes plastic the most sorted type of waste.

Nevertheless, for a vast majority of the respondents across geographies, even if they would like to reduce their plastic consumption most of the time there is no suitable alternative that is as convenient, light, and cost-efficient as plastics. Hence in an ideal world, consumers would like all plastic waste in landfills and oceans to be collected, cleaned, reused and recycled.

“Deep down consumers hope there is still an opportunity to revert global plastics pollution and stop producing more plastics from oil and gas. We are working to optimize our research and development to deliver plastics biorecycling and biodegradation at an industrial scale. Our first 50,000-ton PET plant will be operational in 2025 and others will rapidly follow. We hope to have multiple PLA products on the market in 2023-2024,” added Alain Marty, Chief Scientific Officer of Carbios.