Plastic water bottles don’t biodegrade. Instead, they photodegrade.

Essentially, this means that a single bottle can take at least 1,000 years to decompose. Because of that, around 2 million tons of discarded water bottles can be found in U.S. landfills. Honestly, the problem with plastic water bottle pollution is a lot worse than you think.

To solve the problem, a lot of brands and companies are doing their best to come up with a solution.

Avantium, a biochemicals company based in the Netherlands, is working with ALPLA and BillerudKorsnäs for The Paper Bottle Project. It aims to use plant sugars in making plastics instead of fossil fuels.

The project plans to make plastic-like material from beet sugars, corn, and wheat.

Considering the effects of plastics made from fossil fuels, the idea of plant-based plastic is extremely attractive. The bottles that will be made with the material are expected to dissolve in just a few years if exposed to normal conditions outside. With a composter, they should decompose within a year.

Tom Van Aken, the chief executive of Avantium, said:

“This plastic has very attractive sustainability credentials because it uses no fossil fuels and can be recycled—but would also degrade in nature much faster than normal plastics do.”

The project is backed by big companies.

The list includes Coca-Cola, Danone, and Carlsberg. Considering this, you might soon be able to sip your favorite beverages without the guilt of harming the environment with the bottles.

In a press release, Carlsberg said:

“We are working on developing the world’s first ‘paper’ beer bottle made from sustainably-sourced wood fibers that is both 100% bio-based and fully recyclable.”

Even with the coronavirus pandemic, the project is still pushing forward.

In fact, the people behind the project are expected to announce their partnership with other companies and brands by summer.

The bottles are expected to hit the shelves by the year 2023.

The project is starting out slowly. It’s expected to produce around 5,000 tons of plant-based plastic in a year. The production will increase based on demand.

Myriam Shingleton, the vice president of group development of Carlsberg, shared:

“Innovation takes time and we will continue to collaborate with leading experts in order to overcome remaining technical challenges, just as we did with our plastic-reducing Snap Pack.”

The Benefits of Paper-Based Packaging

When it comes to packaging, paper is one of the most responsible materials we can use. Apart from that it comes from a renewable source, its carbon footprint is much smaller, too. Paper packaging can also be recycled and reused so it has less impact on the environment.

Now, don’t worry about durability. With the advances in design and manufacturing, paper-based packaging can now hold heavy loads and stand upright. In the case of The Paper Bottle Project, it might even hold liquids quite well. In fact, Carlsberg hopes to sell its product in a cardboard bottle with an inner layer made with plant plastic soon.

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Source: My Positive Outlooks, Bored Panda