We already know that corn is a very versatile plant and cereal  grain: its many uses include oil, starch, syrup, beer and whiskey for our kitchen, as well  as plastics, fabrics and adhesives for the chemical industry and biofuel  for the automobile production. But did you know it can now be turned into a fully recyclable packaging material? 

The benefits? It’s 100% biocompostable (so it won’t fill our landfills), the resin used to make the PLA is manufactured  in Nebraska (think made in USA) from an annually renewable resource, with 0 use of fossil fuels.  The end product (plates, trays) is as sturdy and rigid as your regular plastic counterparts and can be safely used in the microwave, the oven, the refrigerator and the freezer.

There are other natural resources being used for the same benefits in the rest of the world, such as sugarcanes, which are typically grown in South America and the Far East.

If you are in the food industry, look into purchasing Sugar Cane or Corn made packaging material. Check out the Go Green packaging specialists at www.gogreenpkg.com  and find many Green products for the food industry.

The manufacturing of un-ecological plastic packaging such as PVC or Styrofoam needs to be put to a stop. Lobby and convince your municipalities that there are other, better, recyclable materials out there that could be used instead. Also, talk to your favorite restaurant manager or owner as well and mention these two new packaging alternatives to them. Even better, go on Styro-Strike! Find out more by clicking here.

Last, but not least, corn-based packaging can also be used in other industries, such as cosmetics: CargoCosmetics recently launched a new lipstick called PlantLove that is packaged in a 100% biodegradable tube made of... polylactic acid. The problem, though, with PlantLove, is that Skin Deep gives it a hazard score of 5 (out of 10) as it contains oxybenzone and BHT (among other nasty chemical products), so don't rush to the store to get it.