Plastic pollution is one of the most serious environmental hazards that threatens living spaces and human health.
UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres recently warned: “By 2040, 19% of global greenhouse gas emissions will come from plastic.”
Vietnam is consuming an average of 6 million tons of plastic per year, equivalent to emitting 12 million tons of CO2 into the environment.
To reach the goal of net zero emissions by 2050, we must find solutions to this problem now.
Realizing that Vietnam is a major agricultural and food producing country with abundant organic waste, a Vietnamese startup called BUYO Bioplastics has successfully researched and developed technology to convert organic waste into a new material to replace plastic.
This bioplastic product is 100% organic and completely biodegradable in the natural environment.
Bioplastics are safe for the environment and health but still meet the features of conventional plastics at a reasonable price.
Sharing at the recently held TECHFEST – WHISE 2023 Imprint program, Ms. Do Hong Hanh, Director of BUYO Bioplastics Company, said that the most common source of organic waste that BUYO uses is the residue from the beer production process and some other types of residue from the agricultural processing industry.
According to Ms. Hanh, this is a pioneering new technology not only in Vietnam but also in the world, 100% developed in Vietnam by BUYO's team of experts and scientists.
BUYO has now filed two patent applications for bioplastics and is preparing to file two more.
During the product development process, the startup also received support and advice from AB InBev (Belgium) - the world's largest beer company with a factory in Binh Duong, the Ho Chi Minh City Biotechnology Center and the Ho Chi Minh City University of Natural Sciences.
The difference of Vietnamese bioplastic produced by BUYO is that the raw material is organic waste, completely without mixing petroleum-based materials, and without using starch to ensure food security.
In addition, this plastic product can completely decompose in the natural environment within 3 months to 1 year, instead of 500 years like regular plastic. The product also does not create microplastics, so it is safe for health.
BUYO's bioplastic production process reduces carbon emissions by consuming less energy, recycling organic waste instead of dumping it into the environment and emitting greenhouse gases.
The product possesses features equivalent to conventional plastic, comes with a reasonable price.
Specifically, bioplastic made from pulp has a cost equivalent to plastic made from paper or bagasse, while its durability, water resistance, and heat resistance are much higher.
After 2 years of research and development, BUYO has raised 750,000 USD in investment capital from international venture capital funds.
The startup is currently operating a pilot plant with a capacity of 10 tons of bioplastic per month in Ho Chi Minh City.
According to the plan, BUYO will expand the factory capacity to 100 tons/month in 2024.
CEO Do Hong Hanh also said that Vietnam is consuming about 12 billion USD worth of plastic products each year. Therefore, BUYO's technology has great market potential.
“If we switch to organic materials to replace plastic, the amount of money saved from cutting 12 million tons of CO2 each year will be equivalent to 60 million USD,” Ms. Do Hong Hanh shared.
According to BUYO CEO, policies to tackle plastic waste pollution are focusing on encouraging and incentivizing recycled plastic. However, less than 10% of the world's total plastic waste is recyclable.
To solve the problem of plastic waste pollution, in addition to recycling, it is necessary to increase the use of new organic materials to replace plastic.
Therefore, startup BUYO hopes that Vietnam needs to have policies to encourage and further promote the use of biological materials.
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