Introduction

With plastic products and packaging all around us, it's easy to feel there's no alternative. We'll look at an exciting area of sustainable design innovation: bioplastics. These plastic alternatives can be made from renewable resources such as vegetable fats and oils, kombucha, corn starch, straw, woodchips, coconut shells, sawdust, and recycled food waste. When processes are applied to these materials, they can offer alternatives to everyday objects while reducing the negative impact on the environment.  

This first step gives you some examples or precedents of how creative people and organizations are developing plastic alternatives. Doing precedent research is your first step in designing new sustainable home products.

Instructions

PART A: Precedent Review 

To find and explore a series of interesting bioplastic and plastic-alternative precedents, click on the "Novel Alternatives to Plastics" tab at the top of this page. 

PART B: Activity:  

Pick 3-5 of the precedents to further explore using the included link. Or you may research other bioplastic objects using the Internet. Write 2-3 sentences in the Responses tab above about why you found that particular precedent interesting and what potential you see for it to reduce plastic waste in the future. 

PART C: Share with a group

Share your post with a group of classmates to learn about what they found!

Deliverables

In the Response Tab, make a post including images of your precedent and your sentences answering the questions above. Make sure to link where you got the images and information about each precedent.