Multiple research teams across the globe have developed biodegradable packaging materials built from plant fibers, producing ...

Plastic is an essential material in the modern world, but it's also environmentally costly to produce and a major pollutant. A material called pyridinedicarboxylic acid, or PDCA, could help address at ...

Biodegradable plastics don’t break down on their own. Researchers found ocean microbes play a key role, and results can vary widely.

NEW ORLEANS, La. — It’s carnival season in New Orleans with weeks of parades, all leading up to one day: Mardi Gras. Part of the parade appeal includes all the throws you can catch, like beads, from ...

In a landfill, a plastic bottle can take more than a thousand years to break down. But a new process can transform polyethylene plastic in days, using bacteria to eat the waste and then turn it into a ...

Polystyrene is made from styrene building blocks and is the most widely used plastic in terms of volume, for example in packaging. Unlike PET, which can now be produced and recycled using ...

There’s a slight whiff of cannibalism in an emerging circular model for sustainable plastics. Insects may soon be used as materials for engineering bioplastics—before the next generation of insects ...

Biodegradable plastics are sold as a simple fix for a world drowning in packaging, but the reality is far messier than the marketing suggests. Labels that promise bags, cups, and utensils will ...

A Japanese research team has created a plastic that breaks down in seawater, leaving no microplastics or toxins—just safe, natural elements. (CREDIT: 2025 RIKEN) Plastics are everywhere—from your ...

It’s hard to imagine a time before traditional plastics became commonplace for many single-use food packaging and food-contact applications. It’s even harder to imagine a time without them using ...