Bio-based products, trends and possibilities…
Coffee cups made from mushroom’s mycelium? Coffee cups made of bamboo, or even coffee grounds!? And the best part, you can refill them thousands of times.
But the possibilities are wider… different objects made of mycelium, vegetable fibers used in creative ways, shoes made with resins from reforested trees.
A whole array of sustainable initiatives is emerging!
Mycelium leather is a new material gaining popularity within the fashion industry. There is a whole team of scientists, designers, and marketing professionals behind it. You might be wondering, what is mycelium exactly? Mycelium is masses of interwoven, single-cell wide structures that are in fact the structures that produce mushrooms (in the case of fungi species which produce fruiting bodies).
Reusable bottles made of sugar cane, which can be recycled, are another new bio-based sustainable product. The lid is made with cork. The manufacturer, located in Sweden, even produces energy by solar panels and only consumes energy from renewable resources.
The latest bio-based inventions include footwear from sustainable sources, which also assure being biodegradable. An example is a French company Veja. Sneakers made from waxed canvas using chemical compounds from corn waste. These shoes use organic cotton as well as wild rubber sourced by small producers. In some universities, prototypes of mycelium shoes are being developed (example 1, example 2).
Even lingerie is starting to be manufactured with plant-based components. The company Eastman Chemical produces a special cellulosic yarn, aimed to be used for lingerie and athletic clothing. The particular material gives some “breathable” characteristics to the garments, making them suitable for the end purposes. These fabrics created with renewable sources have also the “Ok Compost” and “Ok biodegradable” labels from TUV Austria, meaning they could be composted under special industrial facilities.
And what about bio-based cups?
In a previous post, we talked about why bio-based disposable packaging doesn’t seem the most sustainable solution or doesn’t always contribute to circular economy. While this is the case for disposable products; bio-based packaging or bio-based products not meant to be thrown immediately could offer new possibilities for those who want to make conscious decisions in their everyday lives.
We need to forget about the throwaway lifestyle and embrace a culture of reuse.
Companies producing disposable bio-based compostable cups made of polylactic acid (PLA) claim that these types of cups will return into the soil, closing the cycle. However, studies show that reusable cups are more sustainable than disposable biodegradable cups. Every time more big companies choose reusable cups, even football teams!. There are at least three reasons why we should prefer reusable cups over disposable cups – even when they are made with bio-based materials:
1. Climate wise:
The production of one disposable cup has a lower environmental impact than the production of one reusable cup. However, one person could use 30 disposable cups in one month only or one reusable cup. The main material for disposable cups is paper which comes from the trees, and certainly, companies produce much more in the quantity of disposable cups than reusable ones. One study made by IVL in 2019 shows that reusable cups could be used just a few times to compensate for the environmental impact of their manufacturing process. For instance, after using 15 times a bamboo cup, the payoff will be achieved, when compared to disposable cups.
2. Use impact:
Studies also show that resources used for washing reusable cups are not considered high when compared with the overall energy consumption of disposable cups. Besides these cost-saving perspectives; customer satisfaction is higher in businesses using reusable cups, since every day more consumers are aware of environmental issues. Coffee drinkers want to support eco-smart companies!
3. Waste management:
Most single-use cups end in landfills, risking the proliferation of microplastics in the environment as we have mentioned in a previous post (LINK). The so-called biodegradable cups could mislead interpretations about their final destiny since these cups only biodegrade under certain industrial conditions. Meanwhile, reusable cups have a longer lifespan!
Multiple options nowadays are offered in the reusable cup market. From bamboo cups from different brands and qualities to cups made from recycled paper cups, and the very fancy looking cups made of coffee grounds. Here you can check information about our Just Swap it cup! There is also ongoing research to create a cup made of mycelium and coffee grounds…
So take the best decisions, think sustainable, and embrace the reusing culture! Follow us on social media for more sustainable updates!
By: Paola Solís