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MENA gets its first biodegradable PLA plant: Dubai-based polymer supplier Gulf Biopolymers Industries (GBI) will build the MENA region’s first biodegradable polylactic acid (PLA) polymers production facility in the Khalifa Economic Zones Abu Dhabi (Kezad), according to a statement.
The details: The facility — for which GBI signed a 50-year lease agreement— will span 135k sq meters and is planned to have an annual 30k ton PLA production volume. The investment ticket and target launch date for the project were not disclosed.
What is polylactic acid? PLA is a thermoplastic monomer (a molecule that can be bonded to counterparts to form a polymer) derived from organic, renewable resources including corn scratch and sugar cane, unlike conventional plastics which are produced from the distillation and polymerization of petroleum.
Why does this matter? Plastic manufacturing accounted for 1.8 bn tons of greenhouse gas emissions in 2019 — 3.4% of total global emissions that year. If current manufacturing levels remain on track, figures are expected to increase by 0.7 bn tons by 2050.
Targets have been set: UN negotiators entered the third round of talks on an agreement aimed at controlling plastic pollution by the end of 2024 last November. The UN Environment Programme laid out a strategy back in May for reducing the world’s plastic waste levels by nearly 80% in less than two decades using pre-existing technologies.
REMEMBER- Kezad is making moves to boost circularity: The UAE trade, logistics, and industry hub signed an agreement back in 2022 with industrial recycling player Renov8 Polymer Industries to establish an AED 552 mn (USD 150 mn) mixed plastic waste recycling facility at its Polymer’s Park. Kezad also signed an agreement with Emirati tissue manufacturer Star Paper Mill in December last year to build a AED 200 mn recycled paper plant. On a national level, the UAE last year took a decision to enforce a ban on all single-use plastic bags starting January this year and said the import of all plastic materials will be outlawed by 2026.
