Case study: Sustainable fiber production through bio-based materials and recycling of plastic waste
Finnish renewable fuel manufacturer Neste has announced that it will use sustainable polyester fibers in its The North Face products from July 2024. The raw material used, Neste RE, reduces greenhouse gas emissions by more than 85% by using renewable and recycled bio-based materials such as used cooking oil and plastic waste instead of fossil raw materials. The project is being carried out by a consortium of seven companies from five countries, including Mitsubishi Corporation (Japan), Chiyoda Corporation (Japan), SK Geocentric (South Korea), Indrama Ventures (Thailand), and India Grecoles (India). It is aimed to build a sustainable textile supply chain.
In Finland, where Neste is located, the government has set out the “Bioeconomy Strategy 2022-2035”. It encourages Finland to make its climate neutral by 2035 with the goal to double the added value of the bioeconomy. This strategy is expected to further increase its importance in Finland’s national economy by focusing on environmental, social and economic sustainability and strengthening the bioeconomy sector. In fact, in 2019, the bioeconomy generated €26 billion of added value, accounting for 13% of thecountry’s total added value.
Focus areas of the Finnish government’s “Bioeconomy Strategy 2022-2035” Source) Ministry of Economic Affairs and Employment of Finland
This bioeconomy strategy emphasizes implementing the bioeconomy in a resource-efficient manner through a circular economy. In particular, we focus on the use of new bio-based products in the textile industry, pharmaceutical industry, battery materials, etc., and advance the sustainable use of renewable natural resources and the development of related innovations. The bioeconomy also includes tourism that utilizes nature. By 2035, reducing dependence on fossil fuels and non-renewable resources and ensuring social justice and ecological sustainability are key challenges. Neste is also promoting sustainable textile manufacturing in collaboration with this strategy by the Finnish government.
Case study: Development of domestically produced SAF through recycling of waste cooking oil
One approach to bioeconomy is the use of energy generation from biomass (biogas, bioethanol, biodiesel, etc.) as an alternative to fossil fuels. Social Bridge is engaged in the collection of waste such as used paper, and recently started to focus on used cooking oil as a new material for biomass energy.
Current status of waste cooking oil
Approximately 2.5 million tons of edible oil are consumed anually in Japan, and more than 80% is used for business purposes such as restaurants and hotels. Approximately 200,000 tons of waste cooking oil generated from our business sites is recycled for use as feed, 50,000 tons as industrial raw material, and 130,000 tons as fuel. One of the reasons why recycling is progressing is due to the “Act on Promotion of Recycling and Related Activities for Treatment of Cyclical Food Resources (Food Recycling Act)”. It requires that waste cooking oil be appropriately disposed of as a reusable resource. Companies in the food industry (such as restaurants and food processors) are responsible for properly collecting and handing over waste cooking oil to designated recyclers. Recyclers must also be certified with the necessary equipment and technology to collect used cooking oil and process it into a form that can be reused.
On the other hand, it is estimated that about 100,000 tons of waste cooking oil generated from households is incinerated. Even though waste cooking oil can be reused in various ways, it indicates that currently a useful resource is abandoned as a waste.
Increase on demand for SAF (Sustainable Aviation Fuel) as an aviation fuel made from recycled raw materials
Airplanes are among the modes of transportation that emit the most CO2 per unit of transportation. Therefore, it is enlarged to reduce carbon dioxide emissions from aircraft in order to achieve carbon neutrality. Under these circumstances, as an approach towards carbon neutrality, next generation aviation fuel “SAF (Sustainable Aviation Fuel)” is attracting attention.
Plants, which are the main raw material for SAF, absorb CO2 from the atmosphere during photosynthesis. Therefore, even if CO2 is emitted when using an aircraft, plants can perform photosynthesis again, allowing the carbon to be recycled and used as aviation fuel. By using SAF as fuel for aircraft, it becomes possible to use aircraft without increasing the amount of CO2 in the atmosphere in this cycle.
Image of using SAF source) Social Bridge referring to Japan Organization for Metals and Energy Security
Currently, SAF is mainly produced from carbon from biomass such as plants and waste cooking oil. Raw materials derived from biomass include first generation bioethanol (manufactured from alcohol made by fermenting corn and sugarcane (ATJ)), inedible raw materials (pongamia, microalgae, second generation ethanol (waste paper, etc.)). In addition, “synthetic fuel (e-fuel)” produced by synthesizing carbon dioxide and hydrogen is also considered as a raw material for SAF. However, although all of these methods are established, they are too expensive or are still in the PoC stage, and therefore SAF made from waste cooking oil is the most commonly used one.
The Japanese government’s policy also sets a goal of “replacing 10% of fuel consumption by Japanese airlines with SAF in 2030”. To achieve this goal, it will be promoted to develop and manufacture SAF domestically for international market competitiveness. It is also necessary to work with primary distributors on the supply side and airlines on the user side to build a future supply chain.
In response to this growing demand for SAF, Social Bridge is focusing on household waste cooking oil, which still has room for recycling. Of our business-related waste cooking oil, approximately 120,000 tons are exported annually from Japan to foreign countries such as Europe and South Korea. The Finnish company Neste, mentioned in the previous example, is also expanding the production of SAF made from waste food oil. Companies in Japan including Japanese airlines currently end up with importing expensive SAF manufactured by these companies. Given this condition, it is noted that 100,000 tons/year of household waste cooking oil that is currently discarded in Japan can be produced into SAF, leading a sustainable value chain in Japan from an environmental, economic, and geopolitical perspective. Social Bridge will work to collect household waste cooking oil to be part of this sustainable value chain establishment.
Works Cited
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