Awards issued prior to january 20, 2025, were funded under previous administrations and may not reflect the priorities and policies of the current administration.** plastic manufacture and…

Awards issued prior to january 20, 2025, were funded under previous administrations and may not reflect the priorities and policies of the current administration.** plastic manufacture and incineration are a significant contributor to global greenhouse gas emissions (up to 13%). Further, the accumulation of non-biodegradable plastics in waterways and oceans is a growing problem. This project aims to replace large-volume petrochemical plastics, such as polyethylene and polypropylene, with a family of renewable and biodegradable bioplastics with equal or better performance at an equal or lesser cost than existing petrochemical alternatives. These bioplastics will have an estimated 75% lower carbon footprint and a benign end of life, whether they are collected and up-cycled to new products or accidentally dispersed into the environment and degrade to natural molecules.