If you’re like me (then first of all I’m terribly sorry to hear that, but also) you probably spend a lot of time wondering when humanity’s excessive plastic use will finally tip the scales and result in a cataclysmic avalanche of plastic waste that blocks out the sun.
Over 400 million tons of plastic is produced annually, and a hefty portion of that is used for packaging.
Unfortunately, due to the tenacious characteristics that make plastic good for transporting consumer goods without decomposing in the back of a semi-truck, the plastic isn’t going away when it’s done being used. The vast majority of it ends up in landfills, incinerators or worse: lining the walls of Funko POP figurine collectors.
During a recent panic spiral, I compiled a list of Israeli innovators that are leading the charge against a landfill-themed end-of-the-world scenario with neat technologies aimed at reducing our reliance on traditional plastics.
I’m going to sit in the corner and try to find my happy place while you check them out:
1. TIPA
Founded in 2010, TIPA has developed compostable polymers for flexible packaging. The technology creates film, wrappers, pouches and bags that decompose within 12 to 18 weeks when discarded in industrial composting facilities.
Recent innovations include packaging made from rice waste, compostable coffee pod lids, and home-compostable products. TIPA has also entered the legal cannabis market and partnered with luxury fashion brands.
The company has so far raised $123 million to combat hard-to-recycle plastic packaging waste in food and fashion industries, and has expanded globally, collaborating with US-based manufacturers to increase local production.
TIPA estimates its products have replaced millions of traditional plastic packages.
2. MELODEA
Rehovot-based Melodea has developed a nanocrystal-based coating that can be used to make otherwise-flimsy recyclable packaging resistant to water, oil and aroma. These crystals are sourced from industrial forests, and they offer a renewable alternative to traditional polymers.
The company’s latest innovation, VBseal, can be mass-manufactured on existing production lines, providing environmentally safe packaging for a wide range of products, from fresh foods to cosmetics.
VBseal is fully recyclable and free of harmful chemicals like paraformaldehyde (PFA) and bisphenol A (BPA) — which is good, because at this point our internal organs are probably pretty tired of having to process all of those microplastics and will likely welcome the change of pace.
3. W-CYCLE
W-Cycle is working to replace plastic packaging with a compostable, plant-based material that performs just as well but is better for the environment.
Its latest product, SPZero, is a food-contact-approved formula containing neither PFAs nor plastic. SPZero can withstand temperatures of up to 80°C (176°F), making it ideal for food service, restaurants and hospitality venues… and providing peace of mind to trash-panicked reporters.
Supported by grants from the Israeli Innovation Authority and Ministry of Economy and Commerce, the company has recently signed a three-year agreement with Brazilian fiber manufacturer Melhoramentos and is in final pilot stages with global food caterers, manufacturers and airlines.
4. UBQ
UBQ developed a patented process that converts landfill-destined household waste into a sustainable, bio-based thermoplastic material. This novel composite can substitute for conventional plastic, wood or concrete in manufacturing everyday products.
UBQ materials have made their way into some serious collaborations: the bioplastic has been used in McDonald’s trays and Mercedez-Benz parts, among others. The company recently unveiled a new product portfolio of three different material replacements and additives, as well as two material modifiers.
According to environmental impact assessments, every ton of UBQ material produced diverts 11.7 tons of CO2 equivalent, making it one of the most climate-positive thermoplastic materials available.
The company’s potential for global impact has attracted high-profile attention, as evidenced by its recent appointment of Gina McCarthy, former EPA Administrator and National White House Climate Advisor, to its International Advisory Board.
“By converting solid waste into a sustainable circular thermoplastic that acts as a plastic substitute, we can stop covering up our waste and start transforming and reusing it in safe, affordable and beneficial ways,” said McCarthy.
5. CAPSULE MINIMAL
Capsule Minimal, founded by climate tech veterans, reimagines the way personal-care and cleaning items such as shampoo are produced and consumed.
Instead of large disposable bottles filled with a finished product composed mainly of water from the often distant point of manufacture, the company designed multi-use dispensers and paper-wrapped powder capsules containing the active ingredient.
The consumer puts the capsule in the dispenser with the precise amount of tap water needed, and an automatic process of heating and mixing is activated. Voila, it’s now ready to use.
This system eliminates long production lines, reduces resource consumption (water and plastic), dramatically decreases carbon footprint from shipping as well as packaging waste — plus it makes you feel like a cool scientist when you concoct your own body wash.
Despite the tense situation in Israel’s north, Capsule Minimal is setting up a production and innovation center there to supply its first clients with what CEO Yael Goethe calls “in-bottle tecH2Ology.”
6. SOLUTUM
When I was five years old, I bought cotton candy at the circus and it began raining shortly thereafter, resulting in the rapid disintegration of my delicious wispy treat.
At the time, I was fully consumed by the devastating realization that there is no justice in this cruel and uncaring world — but if I had instead begun wondering whether it would be possible to develop a sturdy, biodegradable packaging solution that dissolves in water after predetermined amount of time, I might have ended up as one of the founders of Solutum.
Solutum, founded in 2017, utilizes natural microbes to break down its product into harmless components, leaving no toxic residue or microplastics behind.
That makes it wonderfully suitable for various single-use packaging applications, and on top of that, it can be manufactured on existing production lines, making it a cost-effective and easily implementable solution for companies hoping to improve their image by way of improving their carbon footprint.
Solutum just announced a partnership with packaging manufacturer Pester Pac Automation, which aims to provide biodegradable packaging options to pharmaceutical producers.
Reduce, reuse, recycle, relax?
Did that help? I don’t know about you, but hearing about new solutions for old, dread-inducing problems always seems to set my heart at ease (until the next time I need to throw away a plastic juice bottle and then the cycle starts all over again).
It’s a comfort to know that companies like these, with the infusion of enough investment, good ol’ fashioned elbow grease, and a moderate amount of divine intervention, could push off our plastic-buried end.
More on Earth
