We’ve all seen the pictures. Rivers overflowing with plastic waste and littered beaches that are destroying our eco-systems. The problems of post consumer plastic waste are very visible issues in our society.

We’re surrounded by eco-friendly packaging options, cutlery, even biodegradable toys. But what are the implications of these options on the invisible side of plastic production, consumption and recycling?

Let’s start with regular plastics . Regular plastics are made out of fossil fuels, essentially using byproducts of the crude oil refining process to create plastics. Bio-based plastics, on the other hand are made in completely or partially from biomass, organic material of biological origin.

One thing that we should note here, is that bio-based plastics are not a new material. Before we mastered using monomers obtained from refining oil, starting from the 1930s, several objects used in daily life were manufactured using bio-based polymers.

Today, bio-based plastics have evolved into complex polymers with a wide range of applications, some of them even drop -in replacements for their fossil fuel counterparts. An interesting application of bio-based plastics is biodegradable mulching film, where the farmers could combine the film with fertilizer and leave the film on the crop land after planting the seeds. As the crops grow, the film could biodegrade and even fertilize the crops in the process.

Bio-based plastics come with environmental concerns as well. Currently, the feedstock required to create these new materials comes from crops such as corn [Picture 8], potentially diverting resources from food production and promoting mono-culture practices, reducing much needed bio-diversity. Another concern is EOL scenarios. Certain bio-based plastics, even though bio-degradable need industrial composting facilities [Picture 9], to break down. These materials are often incompatible with existing recycling chains, and need specialized separation to be recycled. These factors mean that bio-based plastics need green infrastructure at a scale that currently does not exist.

These materials, although not new by any means, have only recently started to appear in consumer goods in mass quantities. We need to understand what these novel materials are and how they affect the environment around us.

The application of bio-based plastics is a complex issue, as current plastics value chains are not well equipped to handle them. Additionally, there is a need to study effects on eco-systems and design materials that are compatible with the needs of the market.

This is where Bio-Plastics Europe comes in. We’re a Horizon 2020 research project, funded by the European Commission. We’re a group of scientists and engineers, on the academic side and also in the industry.

We firmly believe that bio-based plastic, an alternative to conventional plastic, could be a significant enhancement to sustainable future of our plastic chains. Our mission is to deliver sustainable strategies and solutions for bio-based products on land and sea to support the EU-Plastics Strategy and a circular economy.

We plan to tackle this complex issue by developing new bio-based plastics , innovating and refining to understand how can we reach and exceed demands that conventional plastics currently satisfy.

On the way, we’ll also make extensive environmental assessments of our chosen materials, with utmost care to assess their impacts on life and ecosystems. On the other side, we’ll be evaluating the economic side of bio-based solutions, and how they stand up to their fossil fuel counterparts.

Furthermore, we also aim to develop business models for efficient reuse and recycling solutions, ensuring safety of recycled materials for the environment and society.

We’re spread all over Europe, and we even have partners in Malaysia!

Come join us on the journey to understand bio-based plastics, and the best ways of implementing them in the real world.

[Excerpt from my introductory speech to project stakeholders]

The Bioplastics Europe project is a new, Horizon 2020 project with a singular aim: Developing and implementing sustainability based solutions for bio-based plastic production and use to preserve land and sea environmental quality in Europe.

Bio-plastics could be a viable alternative to plastics; and solve our waste problem. New materials need care and time to be put into implementation – sound science & due diligence are important aspects of this project. Bio-plastics are also a significant component of the new Bio-Economy.

As a project manager at the lead partners, I played a critical role in the initial set up of the project. As the project started, I took part in planning and organising partner communications. We strategised with press agencies to refine the message of the project, as well as ensured transparency and validity of our scientific work. This is highly significant as the project aims to assess the viability of bio-plastics as replacements to fossil fuel based plastics. We even set up a network of cities worldwide to pledge against plastic waste.

I was also involved in the technical aspects of the project launch. I conceived & developed the communication channels needed for the project to reach stakeholders (website, social media). I also implemented innovative project management tools that would save the project upto 85% of it’s IT budget.

Among others like the above, my project activities were in Administration, Management, Research, Communications & Capacity Building.

Developing the Website

I worked in close coordination with Tan3, a web design firm in Hamburg and Compact, a studio in Budapest to create the detailed, yet easy to digest website of the project. We summarised the entire project from hundreds of pages and created UI concepts from a scratch, making the website one of the most easily accessible H2020 project websites ever created.

Deploying Infrastructure

During my time working with publicly funded projects, I noticed many structural and organisational inefficiencies that could be solved with simple tech solutions. I implemented a cloud storage solution for over 40 project employees, facilitating easy exchange of data. Going a step further, I implemented a Kanban project management system that allows easy tracking of the project’s ongoing activites.

go to project Website

project: Cities Cooperating for a Circular Economy (FORCE)

Role: Project Manager

The FORCE project aims to minimise the leakage of materials from the linear economy and work towards a circular economy. The four cities involved in the project, Copenhagen, Hamburg, Lisbon and Genoa, will engage enterprises, citizens and academia in 16 participatory value chain based partnerships to create and develop eco-innovative solutions. Each city will establish a lead partnership for one of the four materials: plastic waste, strategic metals from electronic and electric equipment, surplus food and biowaste, and wood waste. Each city will also establish three local partnerships for the other materials.

Among other tasks, I created Business Strategies for 4 waste streams, coordinating with multiple partners internationally and keeping sustainability at the forefront of the discussion.

Pictured: Ute Müller (Consist-ITU, Hamburg) and I having a cozy chat at the FORCE booth during the university sustainability day. Among 2 days of info sessions, we invited students to get their phones repaired at a discount and showcased vintage fur… — Pictured: Ute Müller (Consist-ITU, Hamburg) and I having a cozy chat at the FORCE booth during the university sustainability day. Among 2 days of info sessions, we invited students to get their phones repaired at a discount and showcased vintage furniture from Stilbruch, Hamburg’s leading second hand shop.

The Cycel Platform

This neat little tool was made by Consist-ITU within the frame of the FORCE project. The platform analyzes tens of thousands of eBay auctions every day so that you can see what your electrical appliance is still worth and how can you resell your device. Taking the concept further, the platform connects users to a large network of repair shops and recycling centres. I briefly worked with the creators to establish user outreach for this platform; but I’d like to recommend it to anyone looking to dispose of their e-devices.

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