2.10. Plant-based Plastic 🍬 PLA and Industrial Composting with Dr. Ramani Nayaran - Part 1

Part 1: Imagine a world in which our global plastic production would not be based on fossil fuels but renewable resources. A world in which we would still enjoy the convenience of plastic but it would marine degrade within 5-10 years, a short blip of time compared to conventional plastic. Imagine a world in which our products would leave no traces of microplastics, would be kinder to our planet, our animals, and our own health. What if that future would be possible? Yes, doable? And what would it take? This is a deep-dive interview and extremely insightful. Seriously, if you don’t listen to any other interview in this season, please listen to this one. We do get quite technical, so it helps if you know the terms compostable, biodegradable, bio-based, and PLA. You can get an introduction to the topic in episode 2.3. or alternatively your search engine of choice will work as well. Ramani Narayan is a Distinguished Professor at the Michigan State University, renowned for their education on packaging He has eighty refereed publications in leading journals, fourteen patents, and has edited three books Ramani serves as the scientific chair of the Biodegradable Products Institute, North America. We are both advisors to the Global Compostable Alliance. GCA seeks to unite compostable packaging producers. If you work in the field or know someone working on compostable products, check out at gcaimpacts.org. They are sincerely committed to pushing the field forward and you can get involved for example as a member at gcaimpacts.org Thanks to our partners of this season Food Labs: Food Labs is a leading European VC and company builder in food, health & sustainability. They cover the entire value chain – from ag-tech, alternative proteins, water supply, food security, decentralized food production, vertical farming, to food waste and carbon reduction. https://foodlabs.de/ This is a season on plastic alternatives - discussing food packaging and sustainable materials. Alternative packaging options are slowly developing. More and more packaging startups are developing plastic replacements based on fungi or algae. Bioplastics or bio-based plastics like PLA are becoming more resilient. In this season we discuss topics like industrial composting, home composting, compostability, biodegradable and compostable material, single-use plastic, plastic recycling, food waste recycling, and more. Red to Green is a food tech and sustainability podcast. We cover current food technology topics in-depth with a focus on sustainable innovations. Learn about the food industry in deep-dive seasons featuring industry leaders from food tech startups, corporates, and important VCs. Sustainable food is more than improving individual buying behaviors. Red to Green seeks to move the food industry from harmful to healthy, from polluting to sustainable from Red to Green.