The plastic crisis is one of the greatest threats to planet Earth. Every year, nearly 12.7 million tons of plastic end up in the oceans and it is predicted that by 2050, there will be more plastic than fish in the oceans. Avantium, a Dutch company has collaborated with some well-known brands such as Coca-Cola and Carlsberg to find the solution for this growing issue.
Plastic plays a major role in the food supply chain. Almost everything from water to instant stuff comes safely wrapped in a container made of plastic that will roam the earth for at least 50 more years. Due to the fact that humans have become heavily dependent on them despite its harmful effects on the environment, scientists have been conducting various experiments to find a solution to minimize the ill effects of plastic.
Avantium is developing a plant-based plastic that will definitely change the food supply chain remarkably. This invaluable initiative is mainly sponsored by some major companies such as Coca-Cola and Carlsberg. This new plant-based plastic is made out of corn, wheat, and beet sugars. The refrain from the use of fossil fuels and the ability to be recycled has made these much more attractive than conventional plastic.
While it takes around 10-15 years for plastic bags to fully decompose, plastic bottles take up to 450 years.
However, according to Tom Van Aken, the CEO of Avantium, this new bio-degradable plastic will completely decompose within one year, if kept in a composer. Even if it’s kept outside in normal environmental conditions, they will fully decompose in several years.
”We are pleased with the progress we’ve made on the Green Fiber Bottle so far. While we are not completely there yet, the two prototypes are an important step towards realizing our ultimate ambition of bringing this breakthrough to the market,” said Myriam Shingleton, Carlsberg’s vice president of group development.
View this post on Instagram
Beverages in these bottles are expected to hit the shelves by 2023.
Watch the video below to learn more about this sustainable project!
Reading, creative writing, poetry writing, and language learning have been my passions since I was young. I have won many Japanese and Chinese language competitions, and many national-level creative writing, art & oratory competitions too. I am still schooling, and passed my O/Levels with distinction passes for English Literature, Japanese, and English. I have also completed my Certificate of Human Resource Management.
