Plastic is a confusing subject because there is a lot of possibilities in every step of the plastic production process: the raw materials, the technologies, the final products characteristics, ... It's easy to get lost in the details, in addition plastic is an engineering field that can require B2B collaboration. You will need a chemistry background, access and experience in a wet dry laboratory practices, test and prototype may require funding and/or time.
Right now plastic alternative may not be a very lucrative market, because it's not even the goal of most entrepreneurs in this field, It's about sustainability and doing the right thing. If changes are introduced to regulatory frameworks like tax law this could change and make the business lucrative and attractive to investors, things are on the way.
This post is not about plastic recycling, it's about oil plastic alternatives, three plant-based raw materials emerge as gold vein: corn, cassava root and algae.
From agricultural-waste and non-edible plants
On the 10 Mars 2021, the chulalongkon university SASIN school of management published a post announcing PLASTICFRI as the winner of two prizes:
- HM the king's award grand prize with USD 20,000 prize.
- HRH princess maha chakri sirindhorn's sustainability award with USD 8,000 prize.
According to PlasticFri website, they are offering 5 products:
- drinking cups,
- straws,
- carrier bags/shopping bags,
- waste/garbage bags,
- e-commerce mailing envelope,
PlasticFri developed a plant-based material coming from agricultural-waste and non-edible plants to replace conventional plastics
From algae
On the 25 Mars 2021, imperial enterprise lab twitted ALGREEN as the venture catalyst challenge moonshot prize. ALGREEN is the first 100% biodegradable label made from algae.
According to ALGREEN website, they are offering 5 products:
- surgical glue,
- buttons,
- sunglasses frames,
- chipboard,
- labels and secondary packaging,
- fashion products.
From unwanted food
On the 7th September 2021, 100+ ACCELERATOR twitted MAKEGROWLAB as a member of COHORT3 in the circular packaging track.
According to MAKEGROWLAB is developing two products:
- SCOBY (symbiotic culture of bacteria and yeast) packaging materials,
- TRANSLEATHER,
Those products are intended to be used as bags, sachets or in the fashion industry.
From corn or cassava root starch
On the 3th May 2021, YALE university published a story announcing ECOPACKABLES as the winner of SABIN SUSTAINABLE VENTURE PRIZE and the YALE INNOVATOR'S PRIZE.
According to ECOPACKABLES website they are offering:
- poly-mailer,
- padded bubble mailers,
- shipping labels,
The alternative developed by ECOPACKABLES is based on starch contained in foods like wheat, potatoes, maize, rice and cassava. According to Wikipedia plastic could be obtained by adding water and glycerol to starch.
On the 17 August 2021, top tier impact organised the TTI global impact awards ceremony, FOR THE BETTER GOOD is one of the Consumer & retail awards winners. According to there website, they are developing a water bottle made from starch-rich plants.
Dissolving in water
On the 7th September 2021, 100+ ACCELERATOR twitted SOLUTUM as a member of COHORT3 in the circular packaging track.
According to SOLOTUM website, they are offering a plastic alternative that requires only water to biodegrade.
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