Plastic pollution is the largest contributor to ocean waste, making up 80% of all marine debris. This plastic comes in many different shapes and sizes: from tiny micro-plastics (smaller than 5mm), all the way up to large fishing nets that have been lost or abandoned. More than 640,000 tons of fishing gear are abandoned in our oceans, and at least 14 million tons of plastic are continuing to enter our oceans every year. 

This problem poses a significant threat to global marine life, human health, and the future of our climate. The most visible impacts are seen through the effects on marine life. Entanglement, lacerations, infections, suffocation, ingestion, and death are all possible and frequent impacts that plastic pollution causes to marine species. Beyond marine species, plastic pollution in oceans harms human health. The consumption of seafood containing microplastics poses a significant threat to humans. When fish ingest microplastics, harmful contaminants entire their digestive systems and ultimately accumulate in the human food web. Governments and industries must work together to rethink societies’ consumption behaviors, promote sustainability, and increase funding for research and innovation to reduce this global hazard.

As a result of funding available through the Government of Canada and an ISED Challenge, Plantee Bioplastics was able to develop a novel and first-of-its-kind biodegradable plastic pellet that they believe could help solve the problem of oceanic plastic waste. As long-time friends, and as avid fishers, the founders of Plantee had first-hand experience witnessing the increasing amount of plastic debris on their yearly fishing trips. It was on their 2018 excursion that they first started to explore if there was a way they could put their knowledge and expertise in biopolymer processing to the test to solve this issue. After conducting preliminary research and spending countless hours in the lab, Plantee won the Canada-wide ISED Plastics Challenge and was able to fund the research and development of their novel biopolymer. Today, Plantee continues to work toward seeing its innovation be commercialized and implemented in various applications.

With abandoned fishing gear being the largest culprit of plastic pollution, Plantee aimed to tailor their solution to this application. With this goal in mind, their biopolymer is designed to stay intact as long as the equipment is being used and degrade only when it is lost or abandoned. Upon degradation, the plastic pellets degrade completely and leave behind no microplastics at the end of their life.

The plastic pellet is designed for ease of use in manufacturing, such that it can be seamlessly integrated into existing product lines for fishing gear. Currently, Plantee Bioplastics is working to incorporate this technology into fishing tags, lines, and nets, but remains open to the many possibilities that this technology could serve.

Action is needed to reduce plastic pollution in our oceans. The effects of plastic pollution already in our oceans will continue to pose hazards for decades to come and we can no longer afford to contribute to this deadly problem. Plantee believes their solution is an opportunity to mitigate significant portions of fishing gear entering our oceans and ultimately help to preserve our water sources for future generations.

Gena Meany is the Business Development Manager at Plantee Bioplastics. The company has developed a patent-pending, stimuli-responsive biopolymer that fully degrades in marine environments within two years and results in no microplastics at the end of its life.