When I was a kid, I remember having a science book that said one day corn cobs would be turned into plastic. I thought that was cool, but it didn’t say that the resulting plastic would be compostable—not that compostability was on anybody’s mind.
Today, with a new process invention, a startup named W-Cycle has not only created a patented replacement for plastic, but a material that is made from sugarcane bagasse, and can be made from other feedstocks like reed, wood and banana leaves and is totally compostable—from the earth and back to the earth. But in between, this replacement for plastic called SupraPulp™ survives in temperatures from −40°C to 270°C (−40°F to 518°F), which means this food-safe material survives freezing, ovens and microwaves. It also is liquid proof and oil proof. W-Cycle’s SupraPulp technology prevents the wetting of the packaging by foods containing oily and moist ingredients—and enables high-quality performance in extreme temperature and high-moisture environments.