We all want the plastic we use to be better for the planet. Sustainable and biodegradable plastics like polylactic acid (PLA) may be the products we need.
A prominent sugar producer in Southeast Asia wanted to diversify its revenue by making PLA from sugar cane. They asked us to provide a market study on the state of the global PLA market and to advise on a suitable production capacity for a prospective plant.
CZ Approach
We used in-house and external expertise:
- In-house thermoplastics expertise to analyse PLA’s potential vs other competitor plastics.
- Decades of experience in global supply chains to understand plastics trade flows.
- Engaged with external bioplastics experts for a deep dive into the PLA market.
CZ Solution:
Delivered comprehensive marketing strategy, enabling the client to understand the competitive landscape for PLA and its precursors, lactic acid and lactide.
Ran a workshop to highlight green and red flags for a potential investment in a PLA plant.
Outlook
The USA, EU, China and Japan have all introduced legislation favourable to bioplastics in the last 5 years.
Bioplastic demand will rapidly outstrip supply in the future, which should mean they become more valuable than fossil fuel-derived plastics.
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