This Company Makes Biodegradable Plastics from Discarded Avocado Pits
Mexican company Biofase is getting ahead of the eco-game with their innovative method of transforming avocado pits into biodegradable plastics for use as cutlery and straws. The brains behind the eco-friendly movement is ex-chemical engineering student Scott Munguia, whose drive is firmly rooted in wanting to solve Earth’s pollution problems.
Biofase has been working with biodegradable plastics ever since 2012, when Munguia was still a student. And since Mexico is so well known for its culinary dishes featuring the ever-popular guacamole, it only seems natural that he would choose to work with such a locally abundant resource. On top of that, avocado pits usually just end up being thrown away and burned along with other household waste at landfill sites.
Firmly believing that there was more to be done with those pits, Mungía spent 18 months researching and devising an efficient way to extract a biopolymer from each pit. This biopolymer could then be molded into any shape, thus facilitating the creation of the company’s signature eating utensils.
Upon being buried in the ground, Biofase’s products completely biodegrade in just 240 days. That’s pretty impressive when you compare it to all the fossil fuel-based plastics out there, which can take more than 100 years to decompose.
In 2013, Biofase was officially patented and launched. Two years later, Munguia opened Morelia factory, dedicating it entirely to the mass manufacture and sale of his 100-percent biodegradable plastic resins. But it wasn’t until 2016 that he began producing his own line of bioplastic cutlery in a second plant. The straws came even later.
But despite all this recent development, Munguia claims that “people are still reluctant to pay more for [a product] that protects the environment.” This is because the cost of making eco-friendly products is usually a lot higher than that of their non-sustainable counterparts. In order for a green business to stay afloat and make a profit, their retail prices must also increase, causing budget shoppers to steer away from them before they can even begin to consider their environmental benefits.
Seeing as how humans have access to so many single-use plastics, it seems that disposable goods will just keep on being manufactured despite all our efforts. But as more and more people are turning to greener alternatives, Biofase is understandably gaining a platform — so much so that they now yield a monthly total of 130 tonnes of biodegradable cutlery and straws! The pits themselves are sourced from US-based food company Simplot.
Be sure to head over to the Biofase website if you’re interested in any of their products.
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