In response to recent fluctuations in international crude markets since the escalation of tensions and conflict in the Middle East, Indian company Dr Bio has developed a cornstarch-based biopolymer platform designed to ‘significantly reduce’ dependence on imported fossil-fuel-derived raw materials.
According to the company, India currently imports around 85–89% of its crude oil requirement, leaving downstream industries such as plastics and polymers heavily exposed to global geopolitical shocks and price volatility. Polymer price increases exceeding 80% have been seen in certain segments over the past few years.
This structural dependence has triggered renewed focus on “Aatmanirbhar Bharat” (self-reliant India) initiatives within the materials and packaging sector.
Dr Bio says that unlike conventional plastics which are heavily dependent on crude-oil-linked feedstocks, its biopolymers are manufactured using non-food-grade cornstarch sourced from agricultural surplus, mineral-based additives and fillers available within India, and a small proportion (approximately 5–40%) of imported specialty inputs.
This reportedly results in an overall foreign crude dependency of less than 40%, making the material ‘over two times less reliant’ on global oil supply chains compared to traditional plastics. This shift aims to provide cost stability, supply resilience, and environmental benefits for the industry, as well as price stability in biopolymer markets.
Dr Bio’s current manufacturing ecosystem has reached a production capacity of approximately 3,000 metric tonnes per month of biopolymer resin. The company’s leadership states that scaling indigenous biomaterial capacity is helping India to reduce import bills, strengthen rural agricultural value chains, create green manufacturing jobs and lower carbon intensity.
Last year Krill Design revealed its ReKrill biopolymer, derived from resources including citrus peels, coffee grounds, wine residues and bran. It is said to be 100% recycled, biodegradable and aims to offer the same technical reliability as traditional plastics.
More recently, the EU-funded BioSupPack project concluded its activities after 5 years, stating it has successfully demonstrated that brewery waste can be transformed into high-performance bioplastics for sustainable packaging. BioSupPack says it has developed a scalable bioprocess said to efficiently convert brewery spent grains into high-purity PHB through an innovative plasma pretreatment and microbial fermentation.
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