I have been writing about bioplastics since the 1980s or ’90s, when I was introduced to the concept by Coors, the brewing company (now Molson Coors), which was an early investigator of polylactic acid (PLA); and by ICI of the UK, which introduced Biopol, a type of PHA.
Biopol was sold to Monsanto and then to a startup called Metabolix, which struggled mightily to commercialize polyhydroxyalkanoates (PHA), before selling the business to a South Korean agricultural firm in 2016.
I find the whole idea of turning microbes into biochemical reactors to make plastics fascinating. Plastics made by bugs! I once advised a Cargill Dow marketer to create an ad for PLA resins showing a photomicrograph of their specially bred bacteria or yeasts with the tag line, “Our satisfied workers.”
Biome Technologies plc is a growth oriented, commercially driven technology group. The Group’s primary activity is the development of its fast growing business in bioplastics. The Group comprises two divisions: Biome Bioplastics and Stanelco RF Technologies.
