Pathways to sustainable use of resources: Biocolourants, textiles, and plastics in focus

Abstract

Executive summary

The research program IMPRES (Innovative Materials and Services to Promote Resource Wisdom and Sustainable Development, 2019-2025) funded by the Strategic Research Council aimed to find solutions for replacing the unsustainable material foundation of our way of life with new materials and innovative services. A key focus was on systemic change management and promotion of resource wisdom.

This report outlines three pathways towards a more sustainable use of resources. They explain what is needed to take the transition forward: regulation, changes in consumer behaviour, new products and services, sustainable supply chains, and new business models. The analysis explains current state-of-the art and how to take steps forward, together with noting the hindering and enhancing factors of the change. The pathways and empirical examples build on the research conducted in the three projects of IMPRES: BioColour, Finix and ValueBioMat, which focused on biocolourants, textiles and plastics, respectively.

Achieving a sustainable future requires breaking dependencies of the existing systems. Various interlinked actors are involved in and critical for the change. Governmental agencies influence transitions through regulation, incentives, and investment support. Regulations can improve transparency of sustainability impacts of companies and of their value networks. To change the business environment, companies should make strategic decisions to alter their business and operational models. These decisions are based on cost-benefit analyses and market potential. Consumers should be better aware of their choices impacting sustainability and consider changing their behaviours. Research supports these efforts, and collaborative methods ensure societal and practical relevance.

The IMPRES program has demonstrated that innovative solutions for sustainable resource use are feasible and can be implemented across various sectors. The key challenge lies in the commercialization and scaling up of these innovations. Increased understanding of the opportunities and the need for circular business from the side of venture capital investors, support from governmental agencies, and novel funding instruments can help bridge the “valley of death” stage within applied research, where company investment is premature but academic proof of concept exists.

From the market shaping perspective, this may require regulative decisions to enhance systemic, self-feeding structures to support long-term investments in dissemination of innovations. These are needed when novel solutions are initially loss-making and only profitable for the companies once consumer demand arises. Enhancing changes in consumer awareness and behaviour can be achieved through pilots, demonstrations, and social media campaigns. Collaboration between private, public, and third sectors can support this change, and researchers can act as catalysers of change.

Recent geopolitical changes have highlighted the importance of security of supply for material flows at the national level. Circularity of products and materials is part of the solution for national self-sufficiency in raw materials. Large-scale recycling solutions tend to require international cooperation to ensure adequate material flows, but other forms of circular business models, which keep products and materials in use, can be more regional (e.g. European) or local, within one nation. Partial optimization can hinder overall sustainability and therefore, national efforts must influence EU-level regulations to support competitiveness of circular business models, sustainable biomanufacturing, and bio-based products for the Green Transition. Regulations related to sustainability evaluation, such as life-cycle assessments, are an opportunity to protect the European market.

The sustainability transition requires that norms, legislation, and industrial value chains evolve in step with the transition to a resource-wise economy. This includes more efficient resource management in society. Strong policy measures introducing ambitious initiatives like extended producer responsibility (EPR), reshape waste management and product design, and give impetus for product-service business models based on longevity of products and materials. The change towards resource-wisdom calls for promoting multi-stakeholder collaboration in innovation and extending product lifetimes through circular solutions. Effective cross-sector collaboration and collaborative governance play a key role in advancing circular economy by bringing together companies, public sector actors, civil society organizations, consumers, and researchers.