Producing Bio-Plastics with Sustainable Alternatives to Petrochemical-Based Polyurethanes

Our Client & Their Goals

Our Client, a major petrochemical producer, was interested in exploring the production of bio-based polymers, which are manufactured using feedstocks derived from renewable sources. The plastics industry is transitioning away from petroleum-based raw materials towards producing bio-plastics, driven by global efforts to reduce carbon emissions. Our Client recognised that the increasing demand for bio-based plastics would impact their business’s bottom line— negatively if they did nothing, but positively if they effectively prepared for this transition.

To continue meeting the needs of their customers in the plastics industry, our Client wanted to evaluate both currently available and experimental technologies for the production of bio-based feedstocks. They asked us for actionable advice on how they could best prepare to meet these new challenges, and provide their customers with effective substitutes for petrochemical-based feedstocks.

CamIn's Solution

After conferring with our Client and confirming their goals for their new initiative, we assembled a project team of leading experts. We included both industry professionals with extensive experience in plastics and polyurethane manufacturing, and scientists who were researching methods that could be used to produce bio-based feedstocks.

Working with our industry experts, we developed a detailed description of the conventional production process for polyurethanes. This helped our Client understand the most important technical criteria that bio-based alternatives would have to meet in order to serve as effective substitutes for petrochemical-based feedstocks. Working with our science experts, our team then researched and evaluated the most promising renewable feedstock manufacturing processes currently under development.

This helped our Client understand the most important technical criteria that bio-based alternatives would have to meet in order to serve as effective substitutes for petrochemical-based feedstocks.

The Impact

Our advice and analysis allowed our Client to determine new directions for their research and development work on this topic. They were impressed with the quality of our report, the level of scientific detail in the information that we provided. They were also surprised by the speed with which we delivered our results—just nine weeks after the start of the project. Our Client also valued the connections they made with members of our expert team, and further refined their strategy through follow-up sessions with specific team members.