In Part Two of our series, we explored how UBQ Materials is helping to advance the circular economy by transforming household waste into reusable materials, reducing methane emissions, and supporting a shift away from the traditional linear waste model.
In this installment, we explore UBQ’s waste conversion technology's economic advantages for municipalities and manufacturers. UBQ’s innovative solution reduces waste and enables manufacturers to incorporate environmentally friendly materials without significantly changing their existing production processes by providing a cost-effective, sustainable alternative to landfills.
Q: Beyond the environmental benefits, what economic advantages do waste conversion technologies offer to municipalities and the manufacturing sector? How can these technologies provide value beyond reducing waste?
JB: When countries or municipalities hear about UBQ and what our technology can offer they understand the significant impact we can bring for their citizens and our planet. If you look at waste management today in the US, many states are facing significant challenges as landfills are almost at capacity and new permits are limited. Many states will also ship waste to other states for lower tipping fees. We offer municipalities and states an attractive local alternative that can benefit them both economically and environmentally.
Beyond reducing waste, UBQ’s solution enables manufacturers to integrate a price-competitive sustainable material that has thermoplastic characteristics into their product lines. This enables companies to transition to environmentally friendly materials without wholescale changes in their existing production equipment and processes. enabling them to make significant progress towards their sustainability goals, including reducing waste, increasing circularity and reducing emissions.
Alongside this impact on a region’s waste, materials and business ecosystems, UBQ also supports the local economy and broader greentech industry. For instance, our industrial facility in the Netherlands created 140 direct green economy jobs in the region. Our hope is that by hiring at scale and offering long-term employment we can encourage other clean manufacturing companies to set up facilities in the area, transforming regions into clean tech hubs.
Q: Can you share any case studies or examples of UBQ Materials’ technology being successfully implemented to transform food waste into usable materials? What were the key outcomes and impacts?
JB: UBQ’s industrial scale facility converts around 110,000 tons of regionally sourced waste into 80,000 tons of UBQ material. The percentage of food waste in the waste feedstock is around 50%-55% while dirty cardboard, paper and trimmings represent about 30% and the remaining r15%-20% is unrecycled plastics.
Following production, UBQ™ is then shipped locally and worldwide to be integrated into everyday products such as McDonald’s trays, Mercedes car parts and Pepsi pallets and store displays. UBQ™ can be used in a wide range of durable applications from supply chain products (pallets, bins, boxes), to retail (flowerpots), furniture (tables, chairs), and building and construction (flooring, piping, roofing).
Q: With California facing challenges in meeting its food waste reduction targets, how can innovative technologies like those from UBQ Materials provide practical solutions to help states and cities achieve their waste management goals?
JB: States and cities own the waste but often don’t handle waste management directly. They typically subcontract collection and disposal to waste hauling companies. These companies are accustomed to collecting and shipping waste to landfills, many of which are owned by them. We are trying to change this linear and depleting model by introducing them to our alternative technology that recycles and transforms waste into a new valuable material.
The US is our next expansion market, and we are exploring various locations to establish our next industrial-scale manufacturing facility. Essentially, wherever there are people, there is waste, and there is an opportunity for us to establish a facility to ensure that local waste is brought back into productive use.
Q: How does UBQ Materials ensure that the products created from waste conversion are safe, sustainable, and suitable for use in various manufacturing applications?
JB: In order to sell materials to the plastics and manufacturing industries materials need to comply with numerous certifications related to process and material quality, health and safety, and end-of-life considerations. These certifications are established standards. We spent the first seven years as a company in stealth mode, focused on R&D and ensuring our materials comply with the highest safety standards across the industries in which we work. This includes UL2809, USDA BioPreferred, REACH, ROHS, GASDL, ISO14001, and IATF 16949.
Q: Looking ahead, what are the future trends or advancements you foresee in waste conversion technology and its role in tackling global waste and emission challenges?
JB: I wish there were new developments tackling the huge global waste problem from source to the process to the end of life. The 2 billion tons of MSW produced by humanity every year is the equivalent of the weight of 10 million Dreamliners. As populations grow and economic conditions improve the problem is only getting worse, and we need new technologies to develop in this field. People often think that plastics are the main culprit, yet plastic constitutes only 15%-20% of household waste; the majority is organic, as highlighted by the EPA
Innovation requires the support of legal and regulatory frameworks, including governmental and intergovernmental frameworks where new technologies can emerge. Without incentives, it is very challenging for new technologies to develop into efficient solutions.
In 2007, solar energy was six times more expensive than conventional electricity. So, countries like Germany subsidized solar energy for many years and today solar power can be cheaper than fossil fuel-generated electricity. It took almost 20 years and a lot of support to get there. We need similar support and regulation for new waste management technologies to develop.
To achieve this, we need to shift resources, employment and consumption away from the old economy model to new cleantech technologies, many of which are readily available. The US is making strides in this regard through incentives and programs (such as the IRA) and Europe has been advancing in this area for the last 20-30 years. Other countries are now trying to mimic these regulatory changes to support alternative technologies. It’s a good start but there is more to be done.
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