Our projects> JutePP -the sustainable material for plastic products

JutePP -the sustainable material for plastic products

Closed

Combination

Agriculture/fishery

Industry

Call 7

Bangladesh

Time consumed

Start: 01-Oct-18 End: 31-Dec-20

Lead Nordic partner

Juteborg Sweden AB

Country of Lead Nordic partner

Sweden

Local partner(s)

Razzaque Jute Industries Ltd

Other partner(s)

Inclusive Business Sweden, JuteLab International

NCF grant size

250,000

Total project cost

525,624

Technologies

Plastic substitution

Methods

Sustainable agricultural practices

Country of implementation:

Bangladesh

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Description

The project produces jute fibre reinforced plastic granule (JutePP®) in Bangladesh, a sustainable material for plastic industries. The project scope also validates the inclusive Farmer to Factory Jute Supply Chain (F2F™) model for securing the value chain with traceable, certified Jute fibre (the input material for JutePP®) while providing jute farmers a fair price.

In 2009, it was estimated that 10% of modern waste was plastics... The project produces jute fibre reinforced plastic granule (JutePP®) in Bangladesh, a sustainable material for plastic industries. The project scope also validates the inclusive Farmer to Factory Jute Supply Chain (F2F™) model for securing the value chain with traceable, certified Jute fibre (the input material for JutePP®) while providing jute farmers a fair price.

In 2009, it was estimated that 10% of modern waste was plastics (Thompson et al.), while, 50-80% of debris in marine environments is plastic. This project, called "JutePP - the sustainable material for plastic products", aims to use the technical properties of jute, a natural fiber grown in Bangladesh and India having the potential to create sustainable materials for plastic-based applications. JutePP® granules are the innovative alternative to oil-based unsustainable plastic raw materials. The combination of 50% jute and 50% polypropylene will reduce plastic usage by half and has the potential to replace plastic completely by using biomaterial. JutePP® is the perfect solution to replace plastic, one of the topmost causes of carbon emission in the world. Juteborg, the lead Nordic partner and Razzaque Jute Industries Ltd, the local partner in Bangladesh, will together produce JutePP® and sell to plastic product manufacturers. The main raw material is jute, grown and processed in Bangladesh. The environmental impact of the project is the avoidance of approximately 18K MT equivalent CO2 emission.

The jute fiber is often connected with poverty reduction in Bangladesh. The project will also validate the Farmer to Factory (F2F™) jute supply chain model which aims to establish a jute certification process while ensuring a fair price to the jute farmers. The social impact of the validation is primarily connecting 1200 farmers with increased income and ripple effects to their families positively impacting approximately 4,600 people. This validated model would also create an example for the entire jute-driven economy in Bangladesh where jute contributes 1.6% to the national GDP (Jute economy Bangladesh, 2009). Therefore, ensuring the fair price and increased demand for high-tech use for the jute fiber through validating F2F™, will create the possibility to lift the jute farmers' lives by increasing their income.

This project is classified to address both climate change mitigation and adaptation, which strongly aligns with Bangladesh’s national climate change strategies and plans. This is a big step forward towards the solution of having the best composite which will reduce the negative environmental impact of oil-based plastics in the world.

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Objective

Project's expected key results are:
• Tested JutePP® green business concept together with the validated inclusive Farmer to factory (F2F™) jute supply chain model
• 6 multi-stakeholder partnerships developed
• 4655 persons are benefited (directly and indirectly) with improved livelihoods along the JutePP® value chain in Bangladesh
• 615.6 tonnes of carbon emission is reduced from the replacement of the virgin polypropylene with JutePP® granules at 50% jute concentration...

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Results

The sustainable material JutePP®, invented by Juteborg Sweden AB, promises to reduce the amount of plastic and replace less sustainable reinforcement material e.g. glass fiber in plastic molded products. Funded by NCF, the “JutePP®-project” ran from October 2018 to October 2021, led by Juteborg Sweden AB in partnership with Razzaque Jute Industries Ltd., JuteLab International and Inclusive Business Sweden.

The purpose was primarily to test the... The sustainable material JutePP®, invented by Juteborg Sweden AB, promises to reduce the amount of plastic and replace less sustainable reinforcement material e.g. glass fiber in plastic molded products. Funded by NCF, the “JutePP®-project” ran from October 2018 to October 2021, led by Juteborg Sweden AB in partnership with Razzaque Jute Industries Ltd., JuteLab International and Inclusive Business Sweden.

The purpose was primarily to test the business model and to start the production of JutePP® granules in Bangladesh. Jute is potentially the most sustainable material, yet there is need to address and improve certain sustainability challenges. Therefore, another purpose was to validate the Farmer-to-Factory™-Jute supply-chain-model (F2F™) which promises to ensure that jute has a social, environmental and economic performance that goes from good to great.

The JutePP®-project achieved major results, although not without incurring a set of difficulties. Juteborg and Razzaque formed a JV-company for the production of JutePP® granules. The JutePP® manufacturing-machine was built in Italy and transported to Bangladesh in mid-2021. Different challenges, mainly Covid-19, led to the machine-suppliers not being able to travel for final machine installation before the closure of the project.

As part of the JutePP®-project, Juteborg and Razzaque established direct relationships with 25 interested clients and investors in Bangladesh and Sweden and produced 26 different JutePP® end-product-prototypes for potential clients. One of the prototypes was tested by a large Swedish automotive and transportation-sector company with very promising results. Different communication and marketing activities were conducted. Furthermore, a website for the F2F™-initiative has been created by Juteborg.

Workshops and training sessions were held with jute farmers, to understand their challenges and to co-create solutions to improve the social, economic and environmental performance while improving their resilience and adaptability to climate change. The F2F™-Jute supply-chain-model was validated, by assessing the viability of the co-created solutions. Two promising solutions were tested: Capacity building to farmers and the Direct Purchase model in which jute farmers sell their jute directly to the jute mill, Razzaque, at a higher price compared to the price that they would have received from traders. During the JutePP® project, more than 220 jute farmers benefitted directly and indirectly with increased incomes through the Direct Purchase model.

The greenhouse-gas-emission reductions from JutePP® granules, for cradle-to-gate, has been preliminary estimated showing a reduction of 24% of CO2 eq. from the replacement of PP granules with JutePP® granules at 50% jute concentration and 50% virgin PP.

The JV-JutePP®️-company now has a big responsibility to carry out the plan of JutePP®️-production as well as F2F™, since so many people are involved and they trust that the mission will be fulfilled. The way forward now is to continue the next steps in the pilot, of utmost priority is to start the production and the sales of JutePP®. The JutePP®-machine is expected to start production early in 2022. In the 10-year plan - JutePP®️-business will be scaled up. The plan has been presented to a potential investor which is very interested in the JutePP®️ business and its high impact potential.

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