Estefania Cruz
Grace Johnson-hughes
Seattle Pacific University
Randal Franz
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Innovation comes in many forms. For UBQ this came in a wave of transforming waste into an astounding resource. About a decade ago, UBQ developed the patented technology that transforms waste materials into a renewable plastic resource. During this innovation, the team waited to release the technology until they were undeniably certain it could work reliably and on a large scale.
This innovation is part of the identity of UBQ. The mission is to educate people about the possibilities of renewable plastics and the enormous positive effects it could have both on consumption and production. Instead of exhausting natural resources which are finite, the infinite amount of waste that currently is overfilling landfills is converted into a thermoplastic that can be used in manufacturing durable products. UBQ™ material is even more recyclable than conventional plastics due to constant testing to verify its recyclability.
UBQ's vision is "a world without waste". They aim to scale up and impact not only local communities where the waste management is poor, but eventually more markets around the world. As the population grows, ensuring communities are resilient will allow them to prosper. They have a net zero goal for 2030 in scope 1, 2, and 3 emissions and plan for renewable energy and reusing transportation. Anne Bakken, Sustainability Manager at UBQ says, "UBQ™ material is carbon negative and when compared to virgin polypropylene it is able to bring down the impact." The process to produce UBQ™ material prevents more carbon emissions than it produces. UBQ is producing a solution to solve SDG goals #7 Affordable and Clean Energy, #11 Sustainable Cities and Communities, #12 Responsible Consumption and Production, and #13 Climate Action.
UBQ receives unsorted household waste which includes organics, dirty plastics, paper, yard waste, and other unrecyclable materials, and then these are broken down into particles which can be reconstituted into the UBQ™ material. The material is 100% waste versus 100% oil which is typical in conventional plastics manufacturing. Anne Bakken says, “we work with existing systems, so our partners do not need to rework their entire system in order to have a more sustainable material.” This model can meet growing demand as well as be implemented where it's needed. The process of converting trash into UBQ™ requires no extra ingredients, chemicals, very low amounts of water, etc. It is a very energy-efficient process that uses low temperatures; analogous to mechanical recycling.
The original idea came about when the issue of climate change started to hit the masses. The early scientists at UBQ were inspired to find a solution to the ever-growing issue of plastics and waste and the many places where this trash ends up. Current separation systems are very costly and time intensive but at UBQ they receive everything together, organics and mixed plastics.
When new team members join UBQ they are astonished by the scale this innovation could take. Anne Bakken says, “I think it's important to have something that works with an imperfect system while we work to improve the system in other ways.” The UBQ process is “unusual” only because many think this idea is impossible. Jack (Tato) Bigio, Co-Founder and Co-CEO says, “UBQ’s purpose is to develop this technology in a way that is accessible and economically viable.”
The short-term effects have been tremendous. The diversion of waste from landfills has made a great impact on local communities. The work environment of the company itself has created a magnificent playing field for great minds and activists. Employees can see the products of their work as well as the benefits to the community. The long-term effects have yet to be established, however on a grand scale can be enormous. The spread and use of UBQ™ material can turn the plastics and organic waste in local communities into products. This is great for production and even better for consumption and the chain which follows. Our trash would no longer be dredging toward the incinerator or collecting in the oceans. Our trash would be our own treasure; creating a circular supply chain that would benefit the world.
This innovation has already grown in many ways for the business. Firstly, UBQ has created and maintained immensely fruitful and educational partnerships with outside companies. These companies such as Mercedes Benz, PepsiCo, and McDonalds provide substantial backing for UBQ to their steady client base. These partnerships, as well as benefiting the financial growth of the company, help educate the public on UBQ products and introduce them to a more circular waste cycle.
Secondly, the budding expansion from their pilot plant in Israel to their newest branch in the Netherlands expected to open in 2023 has enabled UBQ to grow and expand its team immensely; adding another 140 employees to a team that until recently was less than 50 people. This growth also enables the company to make the leap from producing around 7,000 tons of UBQ™ material to about 80,000 tons at the new location. The factory will be able to handle 104,600 metric tons of waste per year and based on the waste generation of people living in the Netherlands, it would be equivalent to the waste produced by 196,000 people. This will give UBQ the ability to produce more material and hopefully see growth in both domestic and global relations.
As stated by Anne Bakken, there is a true belief that environmental and social issues go hand in hand. Both permeate many aspects of the other so UBQ decided to tackle it all. Rachel Barr, VP of Sustainability attended COP26 and currently is speaking at COP27 to educate decision-makers, scholars, and others alike on the benefits of circular plastics. Another way the business has been taking on environmental and social issues is through the localized waste-to-product system. UBQ has a dream of expanding to more areas. Many communities are deeply affected by improper waste disposal systems and large amounts of pollution. Expanding to these areas would vastly improve the community and way of life with the introduction of circular waste and turning trash into a resource.
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Anne Bakken, Sustainability Manager
UBQ is helping manufacturers get closer to a circular economy by utilizing waste as a resource. Their patented thermoplastic was developed between 2012 and 2017 leading to the start of commercial production in 2018. They have worked closely with third parties like Quantis and Vireo Advisor to test and ensure UBQ's recyclability. They have a pilot plant in Israel and plan to expand in 2023 to the Netherlands.