Seaweed Instead of Plastic…

At present, most of our food wrappers and reusable containers contain plastics that are not biodegradable but are cheap to produce. What if seaweed could replace petroleum-based products? Since the 1970’s, seaweed production in the Philippines has been a big part of the local industry. It has provided income for more than 200,000 families. It is used as a thickening agent, a food stabilizer, and a base in many cosmetics. In 2019 Denxybel Montinolsa, a Filipino research student, developed a film like substance combining mango skins and seaweed as a replacement for our present-day plastic wrappings. Another start-up NotPla out of England is working on seaweed coating for take-out boxes to replace the present plastic coating used. Research is also being conducted in Australia where efforts to use seaweed are included as part of livestock feed. Seaweed is abundant, breaks down completely in water, and grows very fast throughout the world so most countries could develop and use some form of this innovative technology from this traditional food source.

 

https://news.mongabay.com/2023/01/innovators-develop-seaweed-based-alternatives-to-plastic-food-wrappers/