CHE Webinar: Bioplastics: Investigating Opportunities and Challenges

CHE Partnership Webinar from The Effects of Plastics on Health Series: Bioplastics: Investigating Opportunities and Challenges. Bioplastics are receiving much attention as a way to reduce carbon footprints and to address the serious problem of plastic waste polluting our oceans and land. The term bioplastic describes two separate classes of polymer materials: bio-based plastics, which are characterized by the carbon feedstock used to make the plastic, and biodegradable/compostable plastics, which are characterized by the plastics’ behavior at end-of-life. Dr. Ramani Narayan, University Distinguished Professor, Michigan State University College of Engineering, discusses what these terms mean, the environmental and greenwashing claims surrounding them, and the advantages and disadvantages of bioplastics in terms of impacts to human health and the environment. Dr. Marty Mulvihill, Co-founder and Managing Partner, Safer Made and Researcher and Advisor, Berkeley Center for Green Chemistry, highlights current applications of bioplastics, drawing examples from apparel and food packaging. He also discusses the opportunity for finding new functional additives as well as the next generation of bio-polymers. Dr. Ann Blake, Founder and Principal, Environmental & Public Health Consulting, describes the current landscape of the bioplastics industry, including responses to drivers such as increasing public concern around plastic pollution from single-use plastics. She also discusses our opportunity to create criteria across the life cycle of bioplastics to ensure their health and environmental impacts do not recreate the problems of fossil-fuel-based materials. February 28, 2019.

Learn more about this webinar:
https://www.healthandenvironment.org/webinars/96469

Видео CHE Webinar: Bioplastics: Investigating Opportunities and Challenges канала Collaborative on Health and the Environment