Sustainability: The Ultimate Challenge

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January 23, 2015

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  • In the past century plastic has transformed modern-day life on our planet, but is it sustainable? We produce 300 million tons of plastic per year* and recycle only 3%**. Are we content that the other 97% collects in oceans, landfills and the food chain?

    The challenge is clear: we will drown in plastic if we don't find a sustainable alternative.

    Harvard's Wyss Institute has developed a plastic made from shrimp shells that can be molded into everyday products in any size, shape and color. Instead of decimating the environment and poisoning our food chain when discarded, it breaks down into compost and nurtures the cycle of life.

    * Association of plastic manufacturers.
    ** J. Hopewell et al. Phil. Trans. R. Soc. B July 27, 2009 364 1526 2115-2126

    Photo Credit:
    Albatross at Midway Atoll Refuge – Chris Jordan and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Headquarters

    BioprocessingChemistryEnvironmental ScienceGenomics
    Playlists featuring Wyss Institute for Biologically Inspired Engineering at Harvard University

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