Beyond Plastic

Plastic was started to create fully biodegradable polymers using a revolutionary production and harvesting process that sources high-quality , industrial grade polyhydroxyalkanoate ( PHA ). Based in Southern California , the founders of Beyond Plastic combine nearly 50 years of beverage experience with major brand success stories . Together , they share a passion for transforming the plastics industry , freeing it from the environmentally harmful products they ’ ve seen throughout the years . Both want to blaze a path where future generations truly experience a world that goes beyond plastic .

“ PHA is similar in some ways to polylactic acid ( PLA ),” begins Fred Pinczuk , CTO . “ People are probably more familiar with PLAs as they ’ ve been around for longer and are mostly used for food packaging . PHAs , on the other hand , have predominantly been used for medical applications and it ’ s only relatively recently that there have been attempts to shift the material over to packaging use .

“ PLA is a biopolymer made from renewable resources such as corn , sugarcane , and cassava . PHA , however , can be produced from a variety of sources , including bacteria , algae , and plant oils . Compared to PLA , PHA is both compostable and biodegradable in marine environments . While PLA is industrial compostable , it may stay for up to a thousand years in the marine environment . PHA is a very interesting material . It can be as soft and amorphous as rubber or as hard as acrylic .”

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