What's with Bio-Based Plastics???

So many claims are being made out there, green living is hot right now, but is everyone and every brand just jumping on the band wagon? YES and no.

I'd like to focus on Bio-Based Plastics for this post. I have been researching dental floss that is refillable, low waste and doesn't harm the environment when disposed. PLA is a common material used for these flosses. Ploylactic acid (PLA) is s bio based plastic that is plant based and can be made from corn starch, sugar cane or potato starch. Sounds super right?! Well it is...but. Apparently they are still plastics but just not made from fossil fuel, and plastic is still plastic and depending on where they end up in the waste stream, they can be fine or they can be just as dangerous as fossil fuel based plastics. A great read is Are Bioplastics Really Better for the Environment? Read the Fine Print. Published in GreenBiz in 2019, author Anja Kreiger does a nice job susinctly explaining the issue and providing links to further information from academic sources.

Ultimately, after reading this article and clicking on of the sources linked, I chose to buy dental floss made out of silk. Most are made in China so I went down that rabbit hole for a bit, but found a product made in the USA by a women owned business. Now I need to satisfy myself that the silk is made sustainably...another topic for another day. I'm off to do some reading, and I'll keep you posted.

I encourage you to read the above article, it's so important to learn for yourself. It can be overwhelming to find material that is current, trustworthy and easily understandable. I will continue to post articles that I find that meet these criteria, but don't take it just from me, read them yourself, I suggest and good cup of tea/coffee/beer/wine or even a cocktail next to you. Make learning festive!