Canadian firm Renaissance BioScience has partnered with UK-based Biome Bioplastics on a two-year project supported by funding of up to CA$1.5 million ($1.1m) to develop renewable bioplastics.
The collaboration will focus on using yeast and bacterial fermentation to produce alternatives to petroleum-based plastics for packaging, personal care, health, and consumer goods. The project aims to create bioplastics building blocks that reduce dependence on fossil fuels while meeting performance requirements for everyday products.
The initiative is supported by the National Research Council of Canada Industrial Research Assistance Program and UK Research and Innovation’s Innovate UK. Funding and advisory services from both organisations will support research and development in Canada and the UK, and aim to generate environmental benefits.
The work will include strain engineering, fermentation trials in both countries, and process optimisation. Test samples will be produced for global partners in packaging and personal care sectors. The objective is to establish a reliable and scalable method for producing renewable plastics that is cost-effective and environmentally sustainable.
Strengthening positions
The global sustainable chemicals market is expected to exceed $39 billion by 2034, according to the companies, and they believe projects such as this could strengthen Canada and the UK’s positions in the growing bioplastics sector.
Dr John Husnik, Renaissance’s chief science officer, said: “Biome Bioplastics is a recognised leader in sustainable materials, and together our expertise can deliver impactful renewable solutions that address plastic pollution while meeting the growing demand for high-performance alternatives. Our team is eager to begin this exciting collaboration.”
Paul Mines, chief executive at Biome Bioplastics, added: “This is an exciting trans-Atlantic collaboration combining Renaissance’s world-class capability in microbial engineering with Biome’s engineering biology capability and experience in sustainable materials development and scale-up.
“This collaboration bridges biology and materials science to accelerate the transition to bioplastics made from renewable sources.”
