This video is brought to you by Native. Plastic has been the staple of our manufacturing
industry over the last 60 years. It was made to last … and it did. To the point that
it’s now everywhere on the planet. Even in our bodies. The trouble is that we’ve
been struggling to find a greener alternative to this polluting threat. But what if I told
you that the solution to the plastic crisis could be rooted in something green and simple
like seaweed? Could seaweed be the plastic of the future? Let’s see if we can come
to a decision on this.
I’m Matt Ferrell … welcome to Undecided.
You may have noticed that I have a little bit of a plastic obsession. I’ve talked
about other plastic alternatives like mycelium fungus and algae, as well as our plastic recycling
problem. This isn’t something we can wish-cycle our way out of, so we need to find ways to
deal with our collective plastic obsession.
Our consumerist society has been built upon durable plastic pillars. Yet, those pillars
are gradually sinking into a liquid foundation (a.k.a. the ocean). However, the Great Pacific
Garbage Patch (GPGP) is not the only place to look for plastic. Crazy as it sounds, tiny
shreds of microplastics were found on top of Mount Everest, the highest peak on Earth.
as well as the Mariana Trench, the deepest spot in the ocean. If that doesn't sound worrying
enough, last March scientists found them in human blood for the first time. I don’t
know about you but this makes my blood run cold. As those tiny plastic particles travel
through our veins, scientists wonder whether they could reach vital organs and affect their
functioning.
As we wait to find out the potentially alarming answer to that question, you may have another
one: aren’t we recycling plastic? As I walked through in a previous video, the answer is
kind of complicated since it depends on the type of plastic you’re talking about. Unfortunately,
recycling most of the plastic we produce is not profitable enough. Not even for China,
who broke the worthless plastic recycling cycle for good in 2018.
So, what do we do? One option is to feed plastic to microbes. Researchers have been putting
on their chefs hats to create a plastic buffet, but how does that work? Well, they’ve found
a bacteria that loves feasting on polyethylene terephthalate (PET). They can easily break
it down into its building blocks, which are terephthalate (TPA) and ethylene glycol (EG).
Yet, for this process to make sense, those broken down materials should have a worthwhile
application. While EG has been used as car antifreeze for years, TPA had been useless
… until a couple of months ago. That’s when scientists found a recipe for a TPA-greedy
enzyme that breaks down the TPA.
All of this enzyme research is slowly leading to commercialization. The French company Carbios
is scaling up its enzymatic PET recycling process. After demonstrating their innovation
on a pilot scale, last February Carbios forged a partnership with Indorama Ventures to build
the world’s first industrial-scale PET bio-recycling plant. Their enzymes will eat up the equivalent
of 2 billion PET bottles per year. They claim their technology can upcycle PET components
into high-quality 100% recyclable new PET products over and over again. I’m not sure
about the enzymes, but that sounds like a healthier diet for the planet than we’re
currently giving it.
Aside from plastic-eating microorganisms, there are other ready-to-eat alternatives,
like fungus. I did a deep dive into fungus a while back … that didn’t sound right.
I swear I didn’t take any magic mushrooms. I made a video on mycelium as a plastic alternative.
Ecovative has been turning fungi into cheaper, greener, and perhaps…tastier…foams than
polystyrene-based ones since 2006. A lot like this brick. With a 12% lower energy consumption
and 90% smaller carbon footprint, their production has mushroomed over time. That’s where another
plastic-free feedback comes into play … seaweed.
There’s two major reasons why seaweed could be a good candidate to supplant plastic. First,
its sourcing is more sustainable. When you compare it to terrestrial plants, seaweed
grows 10x faster, consumes less water and takes up less than 10% of the land those crops
need. Also, converting land-based plants into plastic-free utensils will bite into our food
production. Instead, seaweed won’t pose any food security risk. Aside from the sustainability
standpoint, there’s a practical aspect to consider. Seaweed contains an oily substance
fraction that could work just like the petroleum-derived one. There’s a bunch of startups that have
recognized seaweed's potential and are now trying to surf its slimy wave.
But before I get to that there's something I've started doing when it comes to plastic.
It really comes down to being more aware of the products you buy and use and how they're
made. I've been using products from today's sponsor, Native, for over 8 months now. I
don't use them because they're a sponsor, I use them because I really like them. Their
plastic free deodorant has a new and improved design, uses the same exact formula as their
regular deodorant ... just in a more sustainable package. You're talking about saving 37 grams
of single use plastic with every deodorant you buy. But it's not just about the packaging.
I have yet to try a scent that I don't like. One of my favorites is Cucumber & Mint, which
is very subtle and crisp fresh smell. They dry quickly and aren't sticky at all. You'll
be able to recognize everything on the ingredient list and it's aluminum, paraben, and cruelty
free. 3 plastic-free deodorants are usually $39 dollars, but if you use my link and code
UNDECIDED2 you’ll get them for $26 ... that’s over 33% off! With my code, you can also get
20% off any body wash or toothpaste! Check the link in the description and thanks to
Native and to all of you for supporting the channel. So back to the startups trying to
ride seaweed's slimy wave.
After raising $1.3 million last September, ULUU<!--pronounced oo-lou--> has begun converting
seaweed into biopolymers. To be more specific, polyhydroxyalkanoates (PHAs)...say that five
times fast. Funny names aside, the Australian start-up claims that their materials are as
strong as plastic while being biodegradable even in the darkest and coldest spots of the
ocean. Studies have shown that under standard conditions PHAs fully break down in about
2 months, which is a significant advancement compared to traditional plastic that hangs
around for centuries in the worst case scenario. Backed by the Commonwealth Scientific and
Industrial Research Organization (CSIRO), ULUU is collecting seaweed from a farm in
Indonesia. Once in their lab, the harvested seaweed is first whittled down into its biobricks,
including sugars, which are then extracted and chucked into a microbes-filled tank to
ferment. Making PHAs out of seaweed-derived sugars would be more eco-friendly than relying
on corn-based glucose, which is the typical feedstock you would use, because corn is water-intensive
to grow and takes up a lot of land. . In contrast, ULUU just needs seawater and microbes. Plus,
their material would be carbon negative as seaweed absorbs CO2 while it grows in the
ocean. PHAs could be used for different packaging materials such as films, boxes, or foams.
Good news is we may see the ULUU product pretty soon as the start-up is launching their first
pilot plant in 2023.
While ULUU seaweed-based products have just climbed on the surfboard, Notpla’s is already
on the crest of the wave. In 2019, the UK-based start-up supplied edible seaweed pouches filled
with an energy drink for the London marathon. Quenching the thirst of over 40,000 runners,
their Ooho capsules prevented 200,000 single-use plastic bottles from flooding a landfill,
but it’s not just about water. You could squeeze a smorgasbord of other liquids in
their sachets. Cocktails, ketchup, salad dressing, you name it. Imagine this in place of those
tiny little ketchup packets you see in fast food restaurants everywhere. Notpla is trying
to make packaging disappear … literally. What’s their secret sauce? Their team of
scientists designed a special machine that mixes brown seaweed with other plants and
churns out tasty membranes. As tasty as a membrane sounds to eat, you don’t have to
… but you could. They’ll vanish in your backyard composter or anywhere else in less
than 6 weeks. Aside from pouches, Notpla also came up with a plastic-free liner for takeaway
boxes. This ticked all the boxes for Just Eat, who tested, and perhaps tasted too, 30,000
biodegrade to-go food containers across the UK in 2021 alone. Thanks to the $13.5 million
raised by Notpla in December 2021, their boxes will deliver food to people in other European
countries as well.
When it comes to disposable plastic bags, Sway leads the way. In 2021, the California
start-up won the Beyond the Bag Challenge and scooped up $2.5 million to scale up the
production of their seaweed-based bags. Sway makes climate-friendly bags out of a specific
type of macroalgae called kelp. This giant seaweed is mostly found in the deep sea. Being
away from the shore, these underground forests are less likely to be disturbed, which means
storing CO2 for a longer time. They can actually capture 20x more carbon than trees. Aside
from being carbon-negative, Sway material would be easily scalable as it can fit into
the well-established plastic supply chain. In collaboration with the Compost Manufacturing
Alliance, the biotech company is designing their bags to be home-compostable. A lot of
those compostable bags, like sandwich bags, that you can buy today are only compostable
through industrial processes, not at home in your backyard. On top of that, Sway sources
its kelp only from farms that meet the Aquaculture Stewardship Council standards. In other words,
their harvest will not damage the ocean and its biodiversity. Currently developing pilots
with different retailers, the start-up is aiming to ramp up their throughput by July
2022.
Along with bags, straws have been the main targets of plastic bans over the last few
years. Unlike soggy paper alternatives, Loliware came up with an ex…straw…dinary product.
A Blue Carbon Straw. Inspired by the ocean's stored carbon, a.k.a. blue carbon, they developed
their SEA Technology™ to swap plastic with seaweed. They grind down their ocean-farmed
seaweed and mix it with colorful minerals and shell powder. They then pass this vegan
soup through an extruder to obtain a plastic-free pellet. Their pellets can then be molded into
the final straw through standard machinery used for plastic manufacturing. Just like
with Sway, this drives down the cost of their final output by tapping into existing infrastructure.
Yet, their price is still slightly higher than that of plastic straws. In 2020, with
the aim of by-passing China competition, the start-up partnered with the American manufacturer
Sinclair and Rush to scale up the first US-based production of seaweed straws. Besides being
made of 100% bio-based FDA-approved materials, their straws will break down in a home composter.
Clearly, seaweed seems to be a promising material to ditch plastic for good. However, we should
bear in mind that algae-based products are just seedlings compared to the mature plastic
benchmark, whose manufacture has been optimized over the last 6 decades. Since it’s still
a niche sector, seaweed packaging is still more expensive than its plastic counterpart.
According to the Coherent Market Insights, you could spend up to $3,600 to make one ton
of edible film. This high production cost could hamper the growth of Notpla packaging
and the likes within the next 6 years. Nevertheless, based on some experts, seaweed packaging price
will drop as more companies bring it to the market. Apart from convenience, algae-based
packaging may not match the outstanding plastic strength and durability. Take Notpla’s edible
capsules, for instance. While being very handy, those sachets may easily burst when shipped
around. Fuelled by plastic bans, the market for seaweed-based packaging is expected to
bloom at a rate of 16% over the next 5 years. Yet, this won’t likely be enough for seaweed
alone to satisfy our hunger for sustainable packaging. This is linked to the current limitations
and costs of seaweed farming. As it stands, most of the world's algae production comes
from labor-intensive farms located in Asia’s shallow coastal waters. Labor accounts for
50% of the total production. Unfortunately, because of the low level of mechanization
and lacking infrastructure, expanding algae cultivation to offshore locations is still
not cost-efficient compared to land-based agriculture. An economic feasibility study
conducted in 2016 concluded that revenues from seaweed production in the North Sea should
increase by 300% to make cultivation profitable. Bureaucracy is not helping either. For example,
you may struggle to get a permit for a seaweed farm in the US. That’s mostly because you’re
dealing with public waters, where you compete with the military, shipping companies, and
recreational activities.
Funny enough, we may solve ocean’s plastic pollution by tapping into an ocean renewable
source. Thanks to recent investments, a tsunami of start-ups have been floating exciting seaweed-based
packaging ideas. Nevertheless, we’ll need to upgrade our algae farming technology to
sustainably keep up with the global demand for eco-friendly packaging. In the meantime,
we could integrate our plastic-free diet with other organic materials like mushrooms and
corn. I don’t think we’re going to see one solution to fix our plastic problem, but
an assortment of ideas and products that could ween us off of our plastic addiction.
So are you still undecided? Do you think seaweed will be the future of plastic? Jump into the
comments and let me know and be sure to check out my follow up podcast Still TBD where we’ll
be discussing some of your feedback. If you liked this video, be sure to check out one
of these videos over here. And thanks to all of my patrons and welcome to new producer
Andy Geuss for your continued support. And thanks to all of you for watching. I’ll
see you in the next one.