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The volume of plastic waste continues to grow and has become a significant global environmental problem. Japanese companies are seeking solutions, with bioplastics being one promising recent development. We visit a Tokyo-based chemicals company that took a naturally-occurring microbe and developed its ability to completely break down plastics in seawater or soil. A drawback has been that bioplastics are not easy to manufacture in complex shapes, so another Japanese company used its expertise in making metal molds to overcome this problem, significantly enhancing the versatility of this eco-material.
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WATCH: Environmentally-friendly bioplastics