Part 6/9:
Since fossil fuels are relatively cheap and the technology for producing plastics from petroleum is well-established, companies like Newlight need to scale up massively to realize economies of scale. The current global plastic market is worth trillions of dollars, making large-scale adoption both a challenge and a necessity.
Scaling Up: A Path to Global Adoption
To make a meaningful difference, companies are planning to expand production capacity substantially over the next decade. Mark and his team intend to install large-scale facilities that can produce vast quantities of biomaterials, making them more accessible and affordable. This scaling effort is akin to deploying solar panels en masse, requiring significant investment, infrastructure, and time.