Based upon fifty-two peer-reviewed studies, almost everyone on Earth is consuming a credit card's weight in plastic every week, through our air, food, and water via microplastics
It's no secret that the oceans and wildlife are ill and dying. Only 9% of recyclable waste is being recycled. The other 91% still ends up in landfills or waterways. Our recycling measures are failing. This is not sustainable.
Meanwhile, the U.S. plastics manufacturing market is poised to grow upwards of $715 billion by 2027 ($1.75 trillion worldwide). According to a report by Markets and Markets, the biodegradable plastics market is projected to grow from $3.02 billion in 2018 to $13 billion by 2027, at a CAGR of 15.1%.
Upon further study of the vertical farm and manufacturing sectors, it is clear that "the industrial sector has an enormous carbon footprint. With economic and societal pressure for change on the rise, advancing sustainability is not only a goal but a key need for manufacturing (Fictiv 2021 Annual State of Manufacturing Report).
Along with the manufacturing sector's readiness, the pandemic has led to a consciousness shift in the marketplace. We must keep this momentum going, but momentum focused on temporary solutions is energy poorly spent.
To change plastic pollution we must change it at the source of the issue. We need better raw materials for the manufacturing industry. Source Bioplastic has the potential to do so. It's unlikely we will be able to stop microplastics pollution, but we can change the ingredients in it.
We have developed a durable bioplastic, that when submerged in water for six months begins breakdown, with ingredients sourced from plants capable of high yields in little time, climate-resilient, drought-resistant, need less lumen absorption, and nutrient-rich soil. These plants are not tied to deep regulatory constraints like hemp and cannabis are.
Source Bioplastic would like to explore the possibility of vertically farming these plants to reduce any possible negative impact on the environment. Source believes these plants are not only capable of creating plastics but nutritional supplements, building materials, biofuel, and pharmaceuticals. This is the way forward for plastics, vertical farming, and the planet.
In time, the objective is to empower communities lacking opportunity and resources by providing sustainable ways of creating solid employment, solid enterprise while simultaneously reducing our dependence on toxic plastics, lowering carbon emissions, and broadening agriculture in lands that were once thought unlikely for agricultural abundance.