World’s first biodegradable plastic produced from CO2 emissions in Finland

Finland – Fortum Recycling & Waste, a waste management and circular solutions company from Finland, has succeeded in producing biodegradable plastic from carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions from waste incineration at its plant in Riihimäki, Finland. This breakthrough, based on carbon capture and utilization (CCU), is a significant step towards reducing and utilizing industrial carbon dioxide emissions.

According to Tony Rehn, Head of the Carbon2x program, the production of CO2-based plastic provides a new, sustainable raw material for the plastics industry. ‘I am very proud that our team is the first in the world to successfully produce biodegradable plastic entirely from carbon dioxide emissions.’

Similar carbon capture development projects are underway in several industrial sectors in Finland and globally, but the majority of them focus on the production of synthetic fuels and carbon capture and storage (CCS).

New raw material

‘Captured carbon dioxide should be utilized as a new raw material instead of storing it underground or releasing it into the atmosphere when using fuel. Utilizing captured CO2 is a much more sustainable option in terms of tackling resource scarcity in the future. Whereas carbon capture and storage is a linear solution that does not address the growing material shortage, carbon capture and utilization promotes circular economy,’says Rehn.

Fortum Recycling & Waste’s Carbon2x program piloted carbon capture and utilization in 2022. The program aims to capture carbon dioxide emissions from the incineration of non-recyclable waste and use them to produce sustainable products, such as biodegradable plastic.

Biodegradable

Biodegradable, CO2-based plastic can be recycled just like many other plastics, closing the carbon cycle. An additional advantage of biodegradable plastic is that even if it would end up in nature by accident, it decomposes and does not leave harmful microplastics in the environment.

Fortum estimates that at this rate of development, the industrial production of biodegradable plastic made from waste incineration’s CO2 emissions could start as early as the end of the decade. The new ‘plastics born from CO2’ brand will be introduced to the European market in November 2024.