A “sweet” new partnership is about more than candy—it's the perfect example of how biotechnology solutions can address both climate change and environmental racism.
BIO member Danimer Scientificjust announced a partnership with Mars Wrigley to produce Skittles in compostable packaging.
Danimer is the first company to market a biopolymer material that looks and feels like ordinary plastic but is completely biodegradable—exactly the kind of biotech solution we need to make an impact on climate change.
This is just one of many biotech-driven solutions to climate change—which range from sustainable aviation fuels that emit less carbon, to gene editing and synthetic biology making crops more resilient in the face of drought and pests, as two examples.
Climate change negatively affects people, too—and disproportionately communities of color, through a system of discriminatory health, environmental, and housing policies.
And bioplastic can help this, too. There is “growing research that indicates communities of color use more plastic and are less likely to have a plastic ban, which means more plastic ends up on the streets and in their water sources,” as BIO’s Cornelia Poku explained.
So, we have solutions—now we need to advance them.Here's how policy can help.
Watch: Today, the House Science Subcommittee on Energy hearing “Building Technologies Research for a Sustainable Future” will discuss sustainable solutions for climate change with witnesses from scientific research labs as well as the NAACP.
Listen: Danimer’s Chief Marketing Officer Scott Tuten joined the I AM BIO Podcast last year to talk about the company’s biodegradable bioplastic. Listen on Apple or wherever you get your podcasts.
More Agriculture and Environment News:
The Guardian: Disease outbreaks more likely in deforestation areas, study finds
“Land use change is a significant factor in the emergence of zoonotic viruses such as COVID-19 and vector-borne ailments such as malaria, says the paper, published on Wednesday in Frontiers in Veterinary Science.”
The New York Times: Biden’s recovery plan bets big on clean energy
“The president’s plan, worth up to $4 trillion, represents a fundamental shift in the way Democrats talk about tackling climate change: It’s no longer a side issue.”
