Author: Zhiqing Chen, International Affairs Officer, China Alliance of Social Value Investment
When Mo Da founded the Snail Mom Technology Co., Ltd, he couldn't imagine how quick the PLA-plastic inspired him to move forward in sustainable investment.
"When I was first introduced to the bio-based PLA plastic, I thought it can change our lives forever."
A Landmark of Green Chemistry
China's plastic industry is quickly adopting the biodegradable plastics as a sustainable solution. According to GCIS China Strategic Research, over 135,000 tons of bio-plastics were consumed in the China market in 2016. The bio-plastic market is expected to continuously grow over the next five years.
One sustainable bio-plastic is a regenerative technology, a recyclable thermoplastic of polylactic acid (PLA) biodegradable polymer.
This bio-based polymer overshadowed traditional fabric and fossil-based plastic. Prompted by the overriding need to protect the environment, the PLA plastic mandate promotes the next stage of green chemistry.
Why Shouldn’t We Use Traditional Plastics?
According to the Molecular Design Research Network, reducing environmental contamination entails reduced usage of traditional plastics that can persist for 500 to 1000 years when used in landfills. Traditional plastics are primarily made from petroleum sources, namely the fossils. By containing high molecular mass, conventional plastics are tough to degrade completely.
Plus, plastics are well-known threats to physical health. Harmful chemicals, such as bisphenol A (BOA), are commonly found in traditional plastic products, including baby bottles and face shields. The adverse health effects are exemplified in congenital disorders, cancers, impaired immunity, and more. Also, numerous NGOs are urging the public to reduce plastic pollution across the globe, as plastics both overburden nature and cause noticeable health hazards to humankind.
In December 2020, The Guardian reported a disheartening news that there were microplastics revealed in the placentas of unborn babies from four pregnant women. Those microplastics were as small as 0.01mm and highly possible to be carried into babies’ bloodstreams. Medical professions discovered that microplastics potentially came from packaging, paints, and personal care products using traditional fossil-based plastics.
What is PLA?
Polylactic acid (PLA), a renewable polymer for producing bioplastic, is life-saving in many real-world situations. Especially in the maternal-child industry, PLA is a sustainable and safe material for making baby bottles, utensils, and food containers.
Two benefits of PLA as a bioplastic are obvious. Firstly, it is quick to degrade when exposed to the environment; Secondly, it can be used in a vast array of applications such as plastic films, bottles, and biodegradable medical tools. Some of raw materials used for PLA's production are relatively organic, such as tapioca roots and cornstarch. With these unparalleabel characteristics, PLA-plastic have rapidly entered to the plastic market as a competitive commodity.
Photo source: https://www.ecomena.org/poly-lactic-acid/
SUA # Socent Profile: Mo Da & Snail Mom Technology Co.,Ltd
SDGs Unicorn Accelerator (SUA) is China’s first accelerator dedicated to scaling solutions for sustainable development. In its third year, SUA has empowered 172 start-ups and accelerated 24 social start-ups. We look for early stage (pre-A/A round) entrepreneurs with business solutions for sustainable development. SUA supports them to scale their innovative social and environmental solutions.
Snail Mom Technology Co., Ltd, part of the 2020 SUA Cohort, is committed to developing PLA-child products and raising social awareness of environmental protection.
Its main goals focus on inventing and using environmentally friendly materials that can replace traditional plastics. Until now, it provides safe and cost-effective replacement, PLA bioplastic products for millions of families in China.
Since 2015, the company’s founder, Mo Da, has been deeply concerned about the negative impacts of plastic on marine conservation. Subsequently, he founded the company primarily working on the industrialization of PLA for over four years.
Mo Da has spent years looking for world-leading field experts and created a research team specialized in biodegradable plastics. The core members are from top universities and research organizations worldwide, such as the Oak Ridge National Laboratory in the United States, with more than ten years of R&D experience.
In this company, a series of products have successfully passed FDA / single bisphenol A tests and gained SCS Test and National Inspection Certifications. It proves that those products are adequate to use in mass production.
According to Roland Berger’s “China’s mother-infant-child products market research report”, the size of the Chinese infant market is growing at a rate of no less than 17% per year and is expected to reach CNY 3.6 trillion in 2020.
Through biotechnological modification of PLA from corns, the company has developed a new PLA. It is high-temperature resistant, non-toxic, and 100% degradable to use in various product lines, including packaging, wrapping, tableware, and baby products.
While eliminating environmental contamination is as vital as protecting children’s health, the bioplastics with PLA are perfect additions to the market. This sustainable technology symbolizes the evolution of green chemistry in history.
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