Transforming waste into a resource for sustainable businesses

Welcome back to my newsletter on Social Innovation. This issue focused on how waste can be turned in to a resource, based in part on my recent discussion with Jack ‘Tato’ Bigio, co-founder and co-CEO of UBQ Materials.

This is a tremendously important issue as about 2 billion tons of waste are discarded every year, a number that is growing annually, the equivalent to the weight of 10 million airplanes. When this waste is buried in landfills, the organic materials within decompose, and form methane, one of the most potent green-house gases. In fact, methane formed in landfills is the third largest contributor to methane emissions globally.

While waste reduction, recycling, and repair should be our primary waste management strategies, it is unlikely we will get to zero waste anytime soon, and we already have billions of tons of waste in landfills around the world. So innovations in processing waste like UBQ is essential to global sustainability.

UBQ is based in Israel and has developed technology that converts organic and unrecyclable waste into a new, sustainable alternative to oil-based resins. I discussed with Jack his vision for UBQ Materials, their new climate-positive material, and how the materials are used to combat waste. Below are some of the key points from my recent Forbes article on the topic that highlights the work of UBQ Materials:

• UBQ Materials was built on the idea that waste is an untapped resource. “UBQ Materials is not a waste management company,” says Bigio, “We are an advanced material company that uses household waste to create a new and novel bio-based thermoplastic material that is highly sustainable and provides brands and manufacturers with a competitive alternative plastic to the existing oil-based resins predominantly used.”

• Bigio believed their work can potentially solve two issues: 1) landfill waste and the associate methane emissions, underwater, soil and oceans leachates 2) the need for sustainable materials that reduce the environmental impact associated with all manufactured goods.

• The company owns its success to UBQ™, a climate-positive raw material certified by UL. Bigio says UBQ™ is capable of “prevent methane emissions, preserve finite resources for future generations and directly respond to the growing problem of waste accumulation, closing the loop of a true circular economy.”

• One advantage of UBQ™ compared to other bio-based materials is that it utilizes the entire, heterogeneous household waste stream, including everything from dirty diapers to chicken bones. “Importantly, UBQ™ is compatible with all current manufacturing processes and materials. So even replacing a percentage of traditional plastic with UBQ can reduce the carbon footprint enough to make the product have a climate neutral or climate positive impact on the environment.” Bigio says.

• The company is partnering with a wide range of companies, covering automotive, logistics, supply chain, construction, and retail. “From car parts to flowerpots, dog houses, transportation pallets to PVC roofing and pipes, almost any durable product traditionally using plastic can be made using UBQ™.” Bigio says.

• Finally, Bigio expresses his hope for the company. “UBQ is expanding its global footprint to further localize the waste to production cycle. Our first large-scale facility in the Netherlands, opening in 2023, will produce 80,000 tons of UBQ™ annually to power the local and regional circular economy… We are already looking towards our next large-scale facilities in Europe, the United States and beyond, providing new opportunities to utilize household waste as an endless resource.” Bigio says.

As the global material demand continues to grow, suppliers are in need of sustainable yet affordable materials. The case of UBQ shows how waste, which is often considered a problem, can in fact become a solution.