In Paris, the 2024 Olympics may have wrapped up but the event’s sustainability credentials got a boost from bioplastic cups and bottles manufactured by Sansu using polylactic acid supplied by TotalEnergies Corbion. WeCycle and Cass, a beer brand and official partner of the Paris Olympics Korean House, collaborated to collect the 100% biobased PLA cups used at a Cass Pocha food and drink stall just outside the Eiffel Tower.
TotalEnergies Corbion manufactures the Luminy® PLA using sugarcane. The bioplastic has a 75% lower carbon footprint than traditional plastics and can be recycled or composted at end-of-life. Sansu is organically recycling a portion of collected PLA cups through WeCycle, into biogas via anaerobic digestion at their Korean commercial pilot plant.
“The Paris Olympics presents a unique opportunity to showcase how innovative materials like Luminy® PLA can help reduce the carbon footprint of major events,” said Thomas Philipon, CEO of TotalEnergies Corbion. “Our commitment to sustainability is reflected in every aspect of this partnership, from production to end-of-life solutions.”
The Paris games set a goal of halving the average carbon emissions of the London 2012 and Rio 2016.