Can a seashell shape an alternative to plastic?
Designing a sustainable future
Did you know that around 1 billion plastic bottles reach our oceans each year? Now, the intricate layers of seashells are inspiring scientists to use bamboo and other sustainable materials to create strong, beautiful, natural bottles.
At PA, we’re passionate about making such plastic alternatives viable. For example, we’ve designed a plastic-free alternative to teabags, which typically contain 20 per cent plastic. We’re also creating the technology and processes needed to make a paper-based replacement for single-use plastic quickly and cheaply with Swedish start-up PulPac. And we built the machinery to produce Ooho, an edible and biodegradable seaweed-based drinks container, manufacturing the first commercial orders in our labs for Notpla.
As well as working to replace plastics, we’re also helping to remove it from the environment. We worked with Ecobooth, which turns waste like toothbrushes, bags and straws into exhibition stands, to create a sustainable business model.
Tackling the breadth of sustainability challenges
Plastic isn’t the only sustainability challenge facing the world. We’re also:
- Giving millions of communities access to clean water for the first time by designing a revolutionary smart water purification system with Water Source
- Making renewable energy more reliable by helping Vistra, a corporate services organisation, understand the potential of the energy market as they build the world’s biggest battery
- Creating a new mode of transport that’s set to be 60 per cent more energy efficient than today’s trains by creating innovative hyperloop systems with Virgin Hyperloop One, the transportation technology company.
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