Renewable raw materials – material of the future?

Our rezemo coffee capsule is made from 100% renewable raw materials – but what does that actually mean and are there other renewable raw materials besides wood?

What are renewable raw materials?

The term "renewable raw materials" (NawaRo) refers to all products produced in agriculture and forestry that are not used for food or animal feed. In concrete terms, this means that everything that grows in the field or forest and does not end up on our plates or in our feed troughs is referred to as a renewable raw material. A classic example of the use of NawaRo is furniture made of wood. But chemically modified substances such as biofuels or plant-based surfactants can also be obtained from NawaRo.

How are renewable raw materials classified?

According to their uses, renewable raw materials are divided into two categories: energy crops and industrial crops .

Energy crops are, as the name suggests, used for energy. In addition to the production of biofuels (mostly from rapeseed, wheat and sugar beet), energy crops are used to produce biogas (corn, clover grass) and as solid fuel (wood, miscanthus, poplars).

Typical industrial plants are starchy plants such as potatoes, corn and sugar beet for the production of basic chemicals, which are then processed into bioplastics, for example. A second large group consists of oil-containing plants such as rapeseed, sunflowers and flax, which are used to produce biodegradable oils and lubricants or in paints and varnishes. More exotic representatives of industrial plants are fiber plants (hemp, flax), dye plants (safflower, madder) and medicinal plants (valerian, chamomile).

What advantages do renewable raw materials offer?

The key advantage of renewable raw materials compared to fossil resources such as oil is their availability . While fossil raw materials are only available in limited quantities and the known deposits will be exhausted in the foreseeable future, renewable raw materials have the property of growing back and can therefore theoretically be produced in infinite quantities.

In addition, renewable resources have a significantly better CO ₂ balance than fossil resources. While the carbon bound in petroleum is released into the atmosphere as carbon dioxide (CO ₂ ) when it is burned, increasing the net CO ₂ content, renewable resources bind CO ₂ as they grow (keyword: photosynthesis). When a biofuel is burned, the net CO ₂ content in the atmosphere does not increase, as the CO ₂ released was previously bound in the plant. However, a more detailed analysis must take into account factors such as fertilizers and fuel for agricultural machinery when growing renewable resources. All in all, however, the ecological advantages outweigh the disadvantages compared to fossil-based resources.

In addition to these advantages in terms of ecological sustainability, arguments can also be made in favor of renewable raw materials in the area of ​​social and economic sustainability. NawaRo not only strengthens the local (agricultural) economy, but also makes a significant contribution to Germany's independence from oil-rich countries.

Is there criticism of renewable raw materials?

In discussions about renewable raw materials, a central counterargument is usually cited - the so-called "tank-plate-trough" debate . The cultivation of renewable raw materials competes directly with the cultivation of food and animal feed, which can lead to tensions given the limited agricultural land. However, the fact is: currently only a fraction of the arable land available in Germany is used for the cultivation of raw materials that find their way into energy or industrial use. Of almost 17 million hectares of agricultural land, only 16% is used for renewable raw materials - and a full 60% for the animal feed industry [1] .

Nevertheless, there are a number of approaches to how renewable raw materials can be used without getting into this conflict. On the one hand, areas that are unsuitable for growing food (e.g. due to soil conditions) can be used, and on the other hand, by-products such as straw can be used for industrial processing. By-products are products that arise when growing food but are not used as such. Straw, which is not suitable for use in the food industry, inevitably grows on a wheat field at the same time. This means that two different products can be grown on the same area without competing with each other.

Conclusion

Renewable raw materials make a decisive contribution to the fight against climate change. That's why at rezemo we rely 100% on NaWaRo and use wood and PLA, a bioplastic made from corn starch, for our sustainable coffee capsules.

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[1] Agency for Renewable Resources eV, 2019