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Plastic has been the staple of our manufacturing industry over the last 60 years. It was made
to last … and it did. To the point that it’s now everywhere on the planet. Even
in our bodies. The trouble is that we’ve been struggling to find a greener alternative
to this polluting threat. But what if I told you that the solution to the plastic crisis
could be rooted in something green and simple like seaweed? Could seaweed be the plastic
of the future? Let’s see if we can come to a decision on this. I’m Matt Ferrell … welcome to Undecided. You may have noticed that I have a little
bit of a plastic obsession. I’ve talked about other plastic alternatives like mycelium
fungus and algae, as well as our plastic recycling problem. This isn’t something we can wish-cycle
our way out of, so we need to find ways to deal with our collective plastic obsession. Our consumerist society has been built upon
durable plastic pillars. Yet, those pillars are gradually sinking into a liquid foundation
(a.k.a. the ocean). However, the Great Pacific Garbage Patch (GPGP) is not the only place
to look for plastic. Crazy as it sounds, tiny shreds of microplastics were found on top
of Mount Everest, the highest peak on Earth. as well as the Mariana Trench, the deepest
spot in the ocean. If that doesn't sound worrying enough, last March scientists found them in
human blood for the first time. I don’t know about you but this makes my blood run
cold. As those tiny plastic particles travel through our veins, scientists wonder whether
they could reach vital organs and affect their functioning. As we wait to find out the potentially alarming
answer to that question, you may have another one: aren’t we recycling plastic? As I walked
through in a previous video, the answer is kind of complicated since it depends on the
type of plastic you’re talking about. Unfortunately, recycling most of the plastic we produce is
not profitable enough. Not even for China, who broke the worthless plastic recycling
cycle for good in 2018. So, what do we do? One option is to feed plastic
to microbes. Researchers have been putting on their chefs hats to create a plastic buffet,
but how does that work? Well, they’ve found a bacteria that loves feasting on polyethylene
terephthalate (PET). They can easily break it down into its building blocks, which are
terephthalate (TPA) and ethylene glycol (EG). Yet, for this process to make sense, those
broken down materials should have a worthwhile application. While EG has been used as car
antifreeze for years, TPA had been useless … until a couple of months ago. That’s
when scientists found a recipe for a TPA-greedy enzyme that breaks down the TPA. All of this enzyme research is slowly leading
to commercialization. The French company Carbios is scaling up its enzymatic PET recycling
process. After demonstrating their innovation on a pilot scale, last February Carbios forged
a partnership with Indorama Ventures to build the world’s first industrial-scale PET bio-recycling
plant. Their enzymes will eat up the equivalent of 2 billion PET bottles per year. They claim
their technology can upcycle PET components into high-quality 100% recyclable new PET
products over and over again. I’m not sure about the enzymes, but that sounds like a
healthier diet for the planet than we’re currently giving it. Aside from plastic-eating microorganisms,
there are other ready-to-eat alternatives, like fungus. I did a deep dive into fungus
a while back … that didn’t sound right. I swear I didn’t take any magic mushrooms.
I made a video on mycelium as a plastic alternative. Ecovative has been turning fungi into cheaper,
greener, and perhaps…tastier…foams than polystyrene-based ones since 2006. A lot like
this brick. With a 12% lower energy consumption and 90% smaller carbon footprint, their production
has mushroomed over time. That’s where another plastic-free feedback comes into play … seaweed. There’s two major reasons why seaweed could
be a good candidate to supplant plastic. First, its sourcing is more sustainable. When you
compare it to terrestrial plants, seaweed grows 10x faster, consumes less water and
takes up less than 10% of the land those crops need. Also, converting land-based plants into
plastic-free utensils will bite into our food production. Instead, seaweed won’t pose
any food security risk. Aside from the sustainability standpoint, there’s a practical aspect to
consider. Seaweed contains an oily substance fraction that could work just like the petroleum-derived
one. There’s a bunch of startups that have recognized seaweed's potential and are now
trying to surf its slimy wave. But before I get to that there's something
I've started doing when it comes to plastic. It really comes down to being more aware of
the products you buy and use and how they're made. I've been using products from today's
sponsor, Native, for over 8 months now. I don't use them because they're a sponsor,
I use them because I really like them. Their plastic free deodorant has a new and improved
design, uses the same exact formula as their regular deodorant ... just in a more sustainable
package. You're talking about saving 37 grams of single use plastic with every deodorant
you buy. But it's not just about the packaging. I have yet to try a scent that I don't like.
One of my favorites is Cucumber & Mint, which is very subtle and crisp fresh smell. They
dry quickly and aren't sticky at all. You'll be able to recognize everything on the ingredient
list and it's aluminum, paraben, and cruelty free. 3 plastic-free deodorants are usually
$39 dollars, but if you use my link and code UNDECIDED2 you’ll get them for $26 ... that’s
over 33% off! With my code, you can also get 20% off any body wash or toothpaste! Check
the link in the description and thanks to Native and to all of you for supporting the
channel. So back to the startups trying to ride seaweed's slimy wave. After raising $1.3 million last September,
ULUU<!--pronounced oo-lou--> has begun converting seaweed into biopolymers. To be more specific,
polyhydroxyalkanoates (PHAs)...say that five times fast. Funny names aside, the Australian
start-up claims that their materials are as strong as plastic while being biodegradable
even in the darkest and coldest spots of the ocean. Studies have shown that under standard
conditions PHAs fully break down in about 2 months, which is a significant advancement
compared to traditional plastic that hangs around for centuries in the worst case scenario.
Backed by the Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organization (CSIRO),
ULUU is collecting seaweed from a farm in Indonesia. Once in their lab, the harvested
seaweed is first whittled down into its biobricks, including sugars, which are then extracted
and chucked into a microbes-filled tank to ferment. Making PHAs out of seaweed-derived
sugars would be more eco-friendly than relying on corn-based glucose, which is the typical
feedstock you would use, because corn is water-intensive to grow and takes up a lot of land. . In contrast,
ULUU just needs seawater and microbes. Plus, their material would be carbon negative as
seaweed absorbs CO2 while it grows in the ocean. PHAs could be used for different packaging
materials such as films, boxes, or foams. Good news is we may see the ULUU product pretty
soon as the start-up is launching their first pilot plant in 2023. While ULUU seaweed-based products have just
climbed on the surfboard, Notpla’s is already on the crest of the wave. In 2019, the UK-based
start-up supplied edible seaweed pouches filled with an energy drink for the London marathon.
Quenching the thirst of over 40,000 runners, their Ooho capsules prevented 200,000 single-use
plastic bottles from flooding a landfill, but it’s not just about water. You could
squeeze a smorgasbord of other liquids in their sachets. Cocktails, ketchup, salad dressing,
you name it. Imagine this in place of those tiny little ketchup packets you see in fast
food restaurants everywhere. Notpla is trying to make packaging disappear … literally.
What’s their secret sauce? Their team of scientists designed a special machine that
mixes brown seaweed with other plants and churns out tasty membranes. As tasty as a
membrane sounds to eat, you don’t have to … but you could. They’ll vanish in your
backyard composter or anywhere else in less than 6 weeks. Aside from pouches, Notpla also
came up with a plastic-free liner for takeaway boxes. This ticked all the boxes for Just
Eat, who tested, and perhaps tasted too, 30,000 biodegrade to-go food containers across the
UK in 2021 alone. Thanks to the $13.5 million raised by Notpla in December 2021, their boxes
will deliver food to people in other European countries as well. When it comes to disposable plastic bags,
Sway leads the way. In 2021, the California start-up won the Beyond the Bag Challenge
and scooped up $2.5 million to scale up the production of their seaweed-based bags. Sway
makes climate-friendly bags out of a specific type of macroalgae called kelp. This giant
seaweed is mostly found in the deep sea. Being away from the shore, these underground forests
are less likely to be disturbed, which means storing CO2 for a longer time. They can actually
capture 20x more carbon than trees. Aside from being carbon-negative, Sway material
would be easily scalable as it can fit into the well-established plastic supply chain.
In collaboration with the Compost Manufacturing Alliance, the biotech company is designing
their bags to be home-compostable. A lot of those compostable bags, like sandwich bags,
that you can buy today are only compostable through industrial processes, not at home
in your backyard. On top of that, Sway sources its kelp only from farms that meet the Aquaculture
Stewardship Council standards. In other words, their harvest will not damage the ocean and
its biodiversity. Currently developing pilots with different retailers, the start-up is
aiming to ramp up their throughput by July 2022. Along with bags, straws have been the main
targets of plastic bans over the last few years. Unlike soggy paper alternatives, Loliware
came up with an ex…straw…dinary product. A Blue Carbon Straw. Inspired by the ocean's
stored carbon, a.k.a. blue carbon, they developed their SEA Technology™ to swap plastic with
seaweed. They grind down their ocean-farmed seaweed and mix it with colorful minerals
and shell powder. They then pass this vegan soup through an extruder to obtain a plastic-free
pellet. Their pellets can then be molded into the final straw through standard machinery
used for plastic manufacturing. Just like with Sway, this drives down the cost of their
final output by tapping into existing infrastructure. Yet, their price is still slightly higher
than that of plastic straws. In 2020, with the aim of by-passing China competition, the
start-up partnered with the American manufacturer Sinclair and Rush to scale up the first US-based
production of seaweed straws. Besides being made of 100% bio-based FDA-approved materials,
their straws will break down in a home composter. Clearly, seaweed seems to be a promising material
to ditch plastic for good. However, we should bear in mind that algae-based products are
just seedlings compared to the mature plastic benchmark, whose manufacture has been optimized
over the last 6 decades. Since it’s still a niche sector, seaweed packaging is still
more expensive than its plastic counterpart. According to the Coherent Market Insights,
you could spend up to $3,600 to make one ton of edible film. This high production cost
could hamper the growth of Notpla packaging and the likes within the next 6 years. Nevertheless,
based on some experts, seaweed packaging price will drop as more companies bring it to the
market. Apart from convenience, algae-based packaging may not match the outstanding plastic
strength and durability. Take Notpla’s edible capsules, for instance. While being very handy,
those sachets may easily burst when shipped around. Fuelled by plastic bans, the market
for seaweed-based packaging is expected to bloom at a rate of 16% over the next 5 years.
Yet, this won’t likely be enough for seaweed alone to satisfy our hunger for sustainable
packaging. This is linked to the current limitations and costs of seaweed farming. As it stands,
most of the world's algae production comes from labor-intensive farms located in Asia’s
shallow coastal waters. Labor accounts for 50% of the total production. Unfortunately,
because of the low level of mechanization and lacking infrastructure, expanding algae
cultivation to offshore locations is still not cost-efficient compared to land-based
agriculture. An economic feasibility study conducted in 2016 concluded that revenues
from seaweed production in the North Sea should increase by 300% to make cultivation profitable.
Bureaucracy is not helping either. For example, you may struggle to get a permit for a seaweed
farm in the US. That’s mostly because you’re dealing with public waters, where you compete
with the military, shipping companies, and recreational activities. Funny enough, we may solve ocean’s plastic
pollution by tapping into an ocean renewable source. Thanks to recent investments, a tsunami
of start-ups have been floating exciting seaweed-based packaging ideas. Nevertheless, we’ll need
to upgrade our algae farming technology to sustainably keep up with the global demand
for eco-friendly packaging. In the meantime, we could integrate our plastic-free diet with
other organic materials like mushrooms and corn. I don’t think we’re going to see
one solution to fix our plastic problem, but an assortment of ideas and products that could
ween us off of our plastic addiction. So are you still undecided? Do you think seaweed
will be the future of plastic? Jump into the comments and let me know and be sure to check
out my follow up podcast Still TBD where we’ll be discussing some of your feedback. If you
liked this video, be sure to check out one of these videos over here. And thanks to all
of my patrons and welcome to new producer Andy Geuss for your continued support. And
thanks to all of you for watching. I’ll see you in the next one.
