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Greenhouse gas emissions and climate change
Climate change is one of the biggest challenges facing our planet today. As human activities continue to emit greenhouse gases (GHGs) into the atmosphere, the Earth’s temperature is rising at an alarming rate, leading to severe consequences such as melting glaciers, rising sea levels, and extreme weather conditions. To mitigate the effects of climate change, we must take action to reduce GHG emissions. This is where UBQ comes in.
UBQ™ is a climate-positive plastic substitute that is made from unsorted waste – including all organics and unrecyclable materials – that would otherwise end up in landfills, open dumps or incinerators.
Landfills
Landfills are a major source of GHG emissions, particularly methane. Methane is a potent greenhouse gas that is 86 times more effective at trapping heat in the atmosphere than carbon dioxide when measured over a 20-year time frame. Methane is produced when organic waste in the landfill decomposes without oxygen, which is known as anaerobic decomposition.
5% of world GHG emissions come from landfills.
To reduce GHG emissions from landfills, many countries have started to implement policies and strategies aimed at reducing the amount of waste sent to landfills and promoting more sustainable waste management practices.
Incinerators
Incinerators are another common method of waste disposal and, according to a report by the European Environment Agency (EEA), a significant source of carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions, contributing to global warming and climate change.
The process of incineration involves burning trash to generate electricity, but it is not an entirely clean process. The burning process releases CO2 and nitrous oxide into the atmosphere as well as other air pollutants such as particulate matter, nitrogen oxides, and sulfur dioxide. These substances contribute to air pollution and have negative impacts on human health and the environment.
Incineration produces more pollution than landfills, and it doesn’t reduce the need for them either. In fact, for every 100 tons of trash that are burned, 30 tons turn into toxic ash that still needs to be sent to landfills. This leaves the other 70 tons to become air pollution, which harms the local air quality. Due to the increasing amount of waste being sent to incinerators, these facilities are emitting more toxins and pollutants that further degrade the air quality. As a result, incineration has a more significant negative impact on air quality than landfills.
By diverting waste from landfills and incinerations, and converting it into UBQ™, we prevent harmful GHG emissions from being released into the atmosphere.
Plastic Production
In addition to preventing emissions from landfills and incinerators, UBQ also reduces GHG emissions associated with the production of oil-based plastic. The production of plastic generates GHG emissions at several stages, from drilling for oil to transportation and plastic manufacturing. By using UBQ as a substitute for oil-based plastic, we can prevent these emissions from occurring. While conventional plastics (such as PCR, PVC, PP, PE and PLA) emit harmful GHGs into the atmosphere throughout their production, UBQ™ prevents them – making it the most climate-positive thermoplastic in the market.
For every kilogram of UBQ™, 1.3 kg of waste are diverted, one kg of oil-based plastic is replaced and up to 11.7 kg of CO2eq are prevented.
UBQ Materials
UBQ™ is a biobased thermoplastic that is used in diverse industries and applications to reduce the carbon footprint of final products. Manufacturers and brands such as Mercedes-Benz, McDonalds, Rimax, and Teknor Apex are replacing oil-based resins with UBQ™ to achieve their sustainability goals and reduce environmental harm throughout their supply chain and manufacturing processes.
UBQ is an innovative and sustainable solution to the challenge of GHG emissions. By diverting organic waste from landfills and incineration while also substituting plastics made from petroleum with a climate-positive alternative, UBQ prevents a significant amount of GHG emissions, helping to mitigate climate change. As the world continues to face the threat of climate change, we must embrace solutions like UBQ that have the potential to create a more sustainable and prosperous future for all of us.
