This is a solution to two problems at once: plastic pollution and excess CO₂. According to UNEP estimates, replacing 30% of plastic by 2030 would avoid 400 million tons of emissions and save millions of marine animals.
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Twenty-two countries have already introduced tax breaks for the production of bioplastics from air. The EU will ban single-use packaging that doesn’t decompose within a year starting in 2026.
Of course, there are challenges. Bacterial growth requires clean water and temperature control. But scientists are working on strains resistant to polluted water. The first tests in India are showing promising results.
This isn’t just a new material. It’s a rethinking of industry: instead of extracting resources, we’re starting to “grow” them from thin air.
And when a child in 2030 asks, “What is oil?” they’ll be told, “It’s what they used before they learned to make plastic from the sun and air.”
