Fight against plastic goes on

Companies are touting alternatives to polymer during the pandemic

The coronavirus pandemic and fears about its spread have brought to a screeching halt years of efforts to get Americans to do one small thing: bring their own bags to the grocery store and stop using plastic ones.

California has allowed stores to use plastic bags until late June under an executive order from Gov. Gavin Newsom, even though the state has had a plastic-bag ban since 2016. New York delayed enforcement of its ban until June 15. Other cities and states have taken similar steps with backing from the plastic industry, despite evidence that the virus can survive longer on plastic than on other surfaces, like paper or cloth.

The pandemic came when momentum was building for a shift away from plastic, with many consumers demanding alternatives or halting use of products, such as plastic straws, altogether. Although about 72% of Americans say they actively try to limit their plastic use, according to a 2019

Pew Research Center survey, the amount of plastic waste per person has remained constant: about 4 ounces per person every day, for a total of about 15.6 million tons in 2017.

But to those working on alternatives to single-use plastic, the consumer momentum is not disappearing. Founders of several plastic-alternative companies said they had seen even more interest from consumers in their products and a renewed commitment from some of the larger companies they work with to press on.

“We’re fortunate enough that we aren’t seeing anyone say, ‘I’m not worried about sustainability, I’m just going to focus on survival right now,’ ” said Troy Swope, co-founder and chief executive of Footprint, which produces fiber-based alternatives to single-use plastics.

Swope said his product, which supplied food service items at February’s Super Bowl, was different from other fiber-based alternatives in several ways. The most important are a shelf life comparable to that of plastic, which helps prevent additional food waste; complete biodegradability and compostability; and the ability to be microwaved.

Ocean plastic in particular has captured the public imagination and seems to be a jumping-off point for several companies developing plastic alternatives, both in source material and the pollution they are trying to prevent. One such company is Notpla, which uses seaweed extract to create its plastic alternative.

Notpla’s main innovation is a small pouch it calls Ooho, made from seaweed and other plants. This little pod, which is edible and biodegrades in four to six weeks, is the ideal replacement for singleserving condiment packets, said Pierre Paslier, the company’s co-founder and co-chief executive, who used to develop packaging for L’Oréal.

“We use plastic for five minutes, and it ends up in the ocean for 100 years,” Paslier said, explaining the company’s interest in providing alternatives to plastic used for on-the-go foods.

Last year, Notpla partnered with Lucozade, a sports drink, to hand out capsules at an aid station at the London Marathon instead of single-use cups. The company achieved some moderate internet fame last year when Glenlivet, a Scottish distillery, unveiled whisky cocktails in edible Notpla pouches for a limited period.

Notpla has also created a pouch for dry goods and a liner for cardboard food containers, which are often sealed with plastic and cannot be easily recycled or composted.

FOOTPRINT Footprint created these fiber-based bowls as an alternative to single-use plastic. The products were used at this year’s Super Bowl.