Washington — President Joe Biden's push to dramatically boost bioplastics manufacturing reflects a "huge urgency" in the administration to address global warming, food security and health equity, according to a White House official who worked on the policy.
The Biden administration on March 22 released a 64-page report outlining what it called a "bold" biomanufacturing agenda, including displacing 90 percent of petrochemical plastics with bio-based polymers over the next two decades.
But implementation strategies for those ambitious goals are still very much a work in progress.
The White House Office of Science and Technology Policy, which released the report, plans to unveil a more detailed research and development agenda in June, said Dominique Carter, assistant director for agricultural sciences, innovation and workforce in the office.
She spoke March 29 to a Washington conference organized by the Plant Based Products Council.
In questions after her speech, Carter did not offer details related to reaching that 90 percent bioplastics goal but said it reflects the Biden administration's desire to address climate, food and health challenges.
"As has been stated with regards to several administration priorities, because of the challenges that we are facing both domestically and globally, there is a huge urgency behind the use of bio-based products, really as it relates to our climate goals," Carter told the conference in a virtual address. "Initially that was the focus but more importantly also, it's food security as well as health equity."