The use of plastic in everyday life continues to expand, particularly “single-use” plastics like shopping bags, bottles, and utensils. However, plastic takes hundreds of years to decompose, growing our landfills. Microplastics from consumer goods are filling the oceans, hurting marine life and damaging the food chain.

The plastics market in Saudi Arabia is valued at $23 billion USD and the global market at $600 billion. More and more governments like Saudi Arabia are banning non-degradable “single-use” plastics. To meet the growing demand, new sources of biodegradable plastics will be needed.

KAUST startup Polymeron is using date waste products – waste that would otherwise simply be discarded – to create plastic pellets. These pellets can be used seamlessly in plastics manufacturing to create everyday items like bottles, bags, and utensils. These items are biodegradable, decomposing mere months after use.

Unlike other degradable plastics solutions Polymeron’s biodegradable plastic formulation does not create harmful microplastics. Plastic made from their biodegradable pellets will not further contaminate our oceans with microplastics and create a more sustainable future for the plastics industry.