Plastic microparticles are everywhere in the environment and in everyone’s body. Inevitably, the petrochemical industry will find people to tell us this is harmless, or perhaps even good for us, but the evidence points the other way.
So far, biodegradable alternatives have shortcomings, but this solution appears to have fixed them. A third of global plastics are made in China & 6.5 per cent of all global oil use currently goes to supply China with petrochemicals. Since 2021, 90% of the increase in Chinese oil imports has been used by chemical feedstocks, not fuels.
Quite apart from environmental concerns, oil imports are China’s top national security risk. They are the only way outside actors (the US) can leverage a chokehold over its economy.
Speedily electrifying with renewables has been one way they’ve been reducing that dependence; now they have another. Swap bamboo (something they have in vast abundance) for even more oil imports.
This alone is an obstacle. Long ago, I could buy “trash” bags based on potato starch. Anything wet would dissolve them, but ideally we would pit green waste in compost. I loved them, but even that market that catered to “hippies” had to quit selling them because they weren’t durable enough. They were better than paper! But whatever.