Australian student Maisy Whitehead, now attending the University of York in the U.K., has created a new biopolymer from natural ingredients that is intended to fully replace polluting plastic packaging, the university reported.
The 20-year-old entrepreneur's company, VegoPak, is intended to provide a fully sustainable plastic alternative. It's nontoxic, made from sustainable materials instead of dirty fossil fuels, and it breaks down naturally in the environment instead of polluting the water and soil with microplastics.
The company's website does not get into detailed specifics on the chemical makeup of the biopolymer, but VegoPak asserts that the product can be used for health and hygiene products as well as car parts.
"Our goal at VegoPak is simple: to empower companies to meet their Corporate Social Responsibility aims by offering a truly sustainable bio-polymer that can seamlessly replace traditional plastics across many industries," said Whitehead, per the University of York.
"We see cutting-edge innovation in materials as the best way to combat the growing global plastic crisis, and we're really excited to be launching a product that could be a game-changer in this crucial shift," she added.
Whitehead credited the university itself with many of the skills she used for the project.
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"Setting up the business has enabled me to put the skills I am learning through my BSc in Business and Management into practice," she said. "I also used the University's Green Chemistry plant to test my product and verify its chemical structure and was impressed by the thorough service and rapid turnaround times."
If successful, her project could greatly reduce plastic pollution. Given how easily microplastics end up in our food and water, plastic pollution threatens human health.
"I am deeply committed to finding a real solution to the pervasive plastic waste problem," Whitehead told the University of York.
"With estimates indicating that around [440 million tons] of plastic waste are generated annually, the urgency for effective solutions has never been greater," she added. "My ultimate aim is for my bio-polymer to completely replace all traditional plastics. Its non-toxic nature, full biodegradability, and potential for mass production make it a really unique product."
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