SUSTAINABILITY

PHILIPPE WILLEMS*, B. TJEERDSMA *Corresponding author Orineo bvba, Acaciastraat 14, B-3071 Erps-Kwerps, Belgium

Philippe Willems

The age of cool biobased materials: a new positioning strategy

KEYWORDS: Biobased materials, positioning, up cycling, agro side-streams, aesthetic.

B ioplastics just celebrated their 25th jubilee. A rather sad celebration, as current market share does only Abstract represent 0,2% of the European thermoplastic and thermosetting market, despite large multinational involvement and consumer support. Own research on the reasons for this limited commercial success concluded on a failing positioning. Most bio-based materials are promoted on their properties, vegetable origin, end-of-life options and benefits for the environment. So far so good, except that suppliers always benchmark against conventional synthetic plastics. And when positioned as such, bio-based materials tend to fall short on price/performance ratio.

A new positioning strategy, based on a balanced What could be the reason for such a communication between rational (addressing limited success? Most research on this objective facts), emotional (addressing aesthetic concludes on ‘price’ and ‘performance’. aspects) and intuitive (addressing personal values) Current bioplastics are still 2-3 times more properties offers new opportunities. expensive then conventional plastics and This is illustrated by the recent launch of a new as long as price parity is not obtained, large bio-based material for interior decoration. acceptance of bioplastics is limited (3, 7). Other sources claim a 15% price premium for Bioplastics (8) but even this premium does not INTRODUCTION cover the price gap.

The fi rst mention of man-made plastic material goes back Isn’t there some positive perspective for bioplastics? to 1862 (1, 3). A mouldable cellulose nitrate material, called Many studies and articles anticipate double digit growth Parkesine created great interest at the Great International for bioplastics in the coming years (9, 10, 11). Are we Exhibition in London. This was well before the world’s fi rst at the end of the lag-time, to use a biotechnological synthetic plastic, Bakelite, back in 1907, the start of the terminology? First observation is that most anticipated ‘plastic era’(2). Only in 1990, when ICI brought Biopol on the growth goes towards drop-in bio-polyethylene and bio-PET, market, the ‘Bioplastic Revolution’ started (1). supported amongst others by Coca-Cola’s PlantBottle™ and TetraPak’s Tetra Rex® Bio-based packaging (8, 11). 25 years later, with the accumulated knowledge of a century A more positive evolution in this fi eld is the support given by of organic chemistry and progress in biotechnology and Coca-Cola, Danone and ALPLA to polyethylenefuranoate, fermentation processes, bioplastics barely represent 0,2% a fully biobased alternative to PET (12). Secondly, and of the European thermoplastic and thermosetting polymer more worryingly, similar growth rates were forecasted in consumption (4, 5) and 0,5% of plastics consumed in bags and articles back in the 90’s and 00’s (13, 14, 15, 16, 17). And packaging. It is not because of a lack of interest from large these projections felt considerably short. corporation, as most major chemical and agro companies in the world are (or have been) actively involved in developing So, there must be another limiting factor in the emergence biobased plastics and polymers. It is also not because of a of bio-based materials. One such factor could be a failing lack of consumer acceptance. Increasing public concern positioning strategy. about the environment, climate change and long-term limited global fossil fuel resources are indeed important drivers to fi nd The aim of this paper is to present a novel positioning alternatives to petroleum-based plastic materials (6), drivers strategy for biobased materials, a strategy that balances already present at the start of the ‘Bioplastic Revolution’. both objective and subjective aspects.

60 Chimica Oggi - Chemistry Today - vol. 34(4) July/August 2016 CURRENT BIO-BASED MATERIAL POSITIONING Many companies, especially technology-driven companies, are tempted to overstress these rational messages in their How are bio-based materials or bioplastics now positioned? communication. This is definitely a good strategy when We also looked at different actors in the value chain: communicating towards peers, but peers are nor customers polymer suppliers, compounders, end-users and identified or consumers of the product. Customers and consumers are the positioning of their products. Not surprisingly, all bio- not always technically skilled. In their quest for properties and based materials are positioned as ‘the better alternative to functionality they are expecting some reassurance on the the environment’. All actors stress on the same arguments: performance, rather then complicated data sets. That’s why greenhouse gas reduction, carbon mobilisation, end-of-life in the 360° positioning, rational messages are translated in a options (biodegradation, recycling, incineration), no use of simple and clear message to customers and consumers, with genetically modified crops and limited impact of biomaterials the possibility to access to hard scientific data upon request. on land use. There is barely a differentiation between the different biomaterials proposed. Technical arguments Rational messages are essential, but should never be overstressed. and certification also have a determining place in the communication strategies. A third striking element is that all Emotional messages polymer suppliers systematically benchmark their products to In the 360° positioning, emotional messages are those synthetic polymers (18, 19, 20). stimulating the senses. Consumers are buying products they The problem of this communication strategy is that leaves price like. Products that are looking good, feeling good, tasting and performance playing a prominent role in the purchase good, smelling well. Aesthetic and haptic properties of bio- decision-making process: environmental arguments are ‘nice based materials are rarely mentioned in the communication of to have’ but not determining enough to justify a less attractive bio-based material suppliers. Strange. Especially because this price/performance ratio. is the battlefield where you win the hearth of the consumers.

What is missing in the communication? Passion for the product, Emotional messages are upgraded from ‘non existent’ to aesthetics, a nice story to tell consumers. Items included in the ‘prominent’ in the 360° positioning strategy. communication made by Veuve Clicquot about their new champagne packaging, Naturally Clicquot (21). Intuitive messages Intuitive messages are sent towards the personal values of the customers and consumers. This is where the environmental 360° POSITIONING benefits of a product will come forward. Where social benefits will be mentioned. Where products are serving the personal A new way to position bio-based materials, called a “360° image of consumers. Where GMO and end-of-life issues are positioning” can be an alternative. This is especially valid for addressed. Where LCA comes in. innovative bio-based materials that should be promoted on their own merits and not in comparison to synthetic polymers. Those intuitive arguments are well described in the bio- It is somewhat less relevant to bio-based drop-in products. based literature, unfortunately highly factual and diluted with rational arguments. A better option is to combine these The 360° positioning is based on a balanced value proposition, intuitive messages into a nice story that customers can further addressing both objective product properties and subjective tell to the consumers. And again, the story needs to be simple arguments. Centrally in all communication stands the consumer and visual for the consumer. benefit, the one stakeholder who finally decides to buy a product, who drives the whole value chain (22, 23). The 360° Balance and honesty positioning principle stresses on simple, clear and balanced The 360° positioning covers the rational, emotional and intuitive messages: rational, emotional and intuitive messages (Figure 1). messages in a balanced way. Customers and consumers first need to want the product (the emotional part), then need to Rational messages be convinced that the product matches their personal set of Each product has objective properties: mechanical properties, values (the intuitive part) and finally need to be reassured that composition, processing the product will deliver conditions, functional according to expectations properties, purity, etc. (the rational part). Only Whatever positioning when the 3 elements strategy a company are well balanced, price chooses, each product becomes less of an issue must perform according in the purchase decision to the expectations and bio-based products of the application. may carry a substantial To substantiate these premium. properties, companies may decide to have their With the easy access to products certified against information nowadays standards by independent through internet, social institute. In certain media, etc., it is essential applications, this is even that the intuitive messages Figure 1. Visualisation of the 360° positioneing. mandatory. are true and honest.

Chimica Oggi - Chemistry Today - vol. 34(4) July/August 2016 61 Hiding information for customers and consumers or green- 360° POSITIONING washing your story will inevitably be sanctioned by customers and consumers. The occurred image destruction will be Touch of Nature™ addresses people’s expectation diffi cult if not impossible to regain (24). comprehensively: the 360° positioning. The intuition is triggered by the sincere and credible feedstock story. The relationship between fond memories and the Touch of Nature™ materials TOUCH OF NATURE™, THE THEORY APPLIED creates an emotional response. The personalised look, texture, pattern further mobilizes our senses. The functionality and The new bio-based material introduced by Orineo fully rely properties of the materials reassures the ratio. This balanced on the 360° positioning strategy described above. It is a liquid positioning between rational, emotional and intuitive properties formulation that can be used for seamless fl oors, desktops, are the true innovation of Touch of Nature™ biomaterials. countertops, interior decorative panels, etc. The end consumers are typically private residents, shop owners, theatre managers, Independent institutes have evaluated Touch of Nature™ etc. with a building or renovation biomaterials in fl ooring project. Quite often architects applications. The materials are well and interior designers are suited for heavy-duty residential infl uencing them in their material and commercial applications and Figure 2. Symbolic representation of material properties. choice. Therefor architects, obtained a Cfl , S1 fi re certifi cation. interior designers, end consumers form the audience. This community needs to be convinced; Using well-known symbols (Figure 2) rather then naked data for it’s their language that is needed in all communication. The the different material properties makes it much more visual and same logic applies for all other bio-based products: defi ne understandable for the customers/consumers of the material. the right audience and tune the message according to their expectations based on the 360° positioning principles. The pitch Finally, Orineo edited a short pitch (Figure 3) that can be used What follows illustrates how Orineo communicates successfully to introduce the novel bio-based product in a concise way. It’s with its audience. In support, it requires a website and home the elevator pitch to intrigue the customers and consumers. style that refl ects the strength of the material. In this case, warmth, beauty of nature, a sense of luxury and comfort. It’s now commercial: liquid biobased formulations for seamless fl oors, tabletops and furniture based on these side-streams.

PRODUCT CONCLUSION Based on market research, we identifi ed an opportunity for a bio-based material for interior decoration. This market offers As for many other developers and suppliers of bio-based opportunities for premium-priced products in rather large materials, Orineo initially also focused its resources on volumes. The challenge was to design a bio-based material the technical aspects of its novel product. This included that looks natural and has an undisputable aesthetic value. internal development work, external material testing and The solution is based on a cold-curing 2-component bio- certifi cation and optimisation of application procedure. The based binder derived from a vegetable oil with a history real differentiating factor came later and appeared essential such as linseed oil. This binder system is the ‘body’ of the when starting to introduce the product in the market. product. It determines the resilient structure and soft touch. Combined to the binder, a bio- based fi ller based on residues of the food and Figure 3. The Pitch, a short easy- agro-industry. Fillers with a story, such as coffee reading text with complementary visual element. grounds, berry seeds, used cork stoppers, etc. These fi llers determine the aesthetic properties Imagine the work and people of the material: its matte appearance, its involved in bringing coffee beans from their exotic plantation into colour, its texture. The fi llers are the hearth and your morning mug. Consider now the soul of the material. the tiny fraction of the bean being brewed and the few minutes to empty your espresso. Well, Orineo developed a new range BRAND of biomaterials based on the 80% waste of your cup of coffee, coffee grounds. Biomaterials To support the product launch, a brand was designed for a 20 years lifetime. created. The Touch of Nature™ brand is based on Plenty of time for nature to replenish the feedstock! 3 principles: 1. Credibility: The materials are biobased and And it does not stop here. Branded as Touch of Nature™, these look natural materials look good, feel good 2. Sincerity: The ingredients are chosen and perform well. One more carefully to ensure a sustainable resource step? Same story with used cork stoppers, berry seeds, olive leaves, management to obtain a range of colours and 3. Stimulation: The material mobilizes the senses: patterns based on nature. it looks good, feels good and smells good

62 Chimica Oggi - Chemistry Today - vol. 34(4) July/August 2016

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