AirCarbon: A Sustainable Plastic for the Future

AirCarbon: A Sustainable Plastic for the Future

By consuming greenhouse gas as a resource, and doing it with renewable power, Carbon Trust found that AirCarbon has a net carbon-negative cradle-to-gate carbon footprint.

By Nityam Pal | 30th October 2022

WHAT IS AIRCARBON?

AirCarbon is a new technology that employs a process naturally occurring in the ocean, where microorganisms use air and greenhouse gases to make PHB, an energy storage material. The PHB is turned into pellets and is then melted into food packaging, like straws, forks, and knives.

AirCarbon products feel like plastic, are reusable, and keep their strength under hot and cold temperatures. But that’s where the similarities end. Unlike traditional plastic products, AirCarbon contains no synthetic plastics, is compostable, and is biodegradable—both on land and in water. The biomaterial has also been certified to be carbon-negative by Carbon Trust and SCS Global Services.

INTRODUCTION

Air Carbon was developed by Newlight Technologies and has already won many awards for its innovative sustainability. It’s made from carbon emissions that would otherwise be released into the air and can have a multitude of uses. It’s a verified carbon-negative material, meaning every step of its production and use is fully green and sustainable. Because it is not made from oil like other plastics, it is also a cost effective alternative to other synthetic materials.

Consumers and companies’ concern over climate change has increased demand for alternatives to plastics and other carbon-based products. The fashion industry, in particular, has come under fire for their heavy production of polyester clothes, which are petroleum-based and don’t easily break down.

At their Huntington Beach production facility, Newlight recreates ocean water conditions that are ideal for the microorganisms they later add to thrive and consume dissolved greenhouse gases. They then collect pollutants such as methane gas to feed to the microorganisms. Afterward, the creatures excrete it, and their waste is dried into pellets, which are then melted and made into different materials.

AirCarbon

HOW IT STARTED?

When Newlight Technologies was first set up, they didn’t know that this biomaterial could be possible. Simply put, their science didn’t exist. After a decade of research and development, the company has created AirCarbon – a certified carbon negative material that actually captures more greenhouse gas emissions than it emits into the atmosphere. This milestone, says the biotech, could be a turnkey solution in the fight against plastic pollution and climate change.

It all started In 2003 when Newlight asked the question: what if the materials we used actually helped the planet heal, instead of causing more harm? It took more than ten years of work, but the California-based biotech firm says they’ve now done it.

They call it AirCarbon. It’s a regenerative biomaterial that can replace synthetic plastics and fibres, which are conventionally made from climate-damaging fossil fuels and do not biodegrade in nature, leaving behind scenes of waste across our oceans and the environment, harming animals and the ecosystems that we all depend on.

Newlight Technologies researched for over a decade to develop AirCarbon

Newlight did this by studying the natural microorganisms that inhabit our oceans that consume the carbon dissolved in saltwater to generate a meltable energy storage material inside of their cells. What they produce is PHB. Researchers then worked on replicating this process on land – and they managed to do it after combining these microorganisms with clean energy, saltwater and air, producing what the company has dubbed AirCarbon.

What’s remarkable is that this very process captures greenhouse gas emissions that would have otherwise been released. This science has won Newlight accolades from some of the world’s leading organisations, including the World Economic Forum, who described the company as a “technology pioneer” and an award from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).

While it all sounds too good to be true, Newlight has verified that its regenerative material is indeed carbon negative, working with the U.K. independent organisation Carbon Trust, who have carried out assessments for the intergovernmental bodies like the UNEP government and businesses like Danone, Bentley and even the meatless alternative brand Quorn, to analyse the cradle-to-gate carbon footprint of AirCarbon.

What Carbon Trust found in their life cycle assessment was that for every one kilogram of AirCarbon produced in Newlight’s production process using methane seeping from abandoned coal mines, 88 kilograms of carbon dioxide equivalent was being sequestered.

Cutlery made with AirCarbon

“By consuming greenhouse gas as a resource, and doing it with renewable power, we found that AirCarbon has a net carbon-negative cradle-to-gate carbon footprint,” said Hugh Jones, managing director of business services at the Carbon Trust.

Mark Herrema, CEO of Newlight, believes that getting the certification is important because shoppers can then make informed spending decisions that factor in the real sustainability of a product.

“This gives consumers the information they need to decide what kind of impact they want to make,” said Herrema.

So how exactly does Newlight plan to revolutionise industries with AirCarbon? First up, the biotech is applying its technology to target one of the most wasteful sectors today – disposables.

Newlight has created a number of sustainable foodware like cutlery and drinking straws for foodservice businesses, and their solution ticks the boxes in terms of performance, functionality and, of course, sustainability – it’s not just carbon negative, but home compostable, ocean and soil-degradable too. Right now, it’s being tested by the infamous burger chain Shake Shack across its U.S. locations.

Shake Shack is testing cutlery made with AirCarbon in the U.S.

And as the demand for single-use plastics continues to grow due to hygiene-related concerns in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic – not to mention the world’s continued addiction to convenience – AirCarbon could be that very solution to meet global needs in a climate-friendly way.

NIKE x AIRCARBON

Iconic Nike sneakers could soon be made out of a regenerative material that actually captures more emissions than it needs to be produced. Partnering with Californian biotech Newlight Technologies, the sportswear giant is now exploring the use of AirCarbon to replace plastic and leather materials in everything from bags and wallets—and maybe even Air Force.

Newlight’s luxury fashion brand, Covalent, allows consumers to dive into even more detail about the carbon footprint of their purchases. Using the timestamp that marks the day AirCarbon for the product was created, customers can use this “Carbon Date” to access IBM blockchain production history via the Covalent website for their purchase and the carbon footprint related to each part of the production process.

Covalent focuses on eyewear, but offers a line of purses and cases as well.

“We have developed a way to use AirCarbon to replace high-performance plastics, like acetate, and also animal and synthetic leather, so we are producing AirCarbon eyewear and AirCarbon Leather goods through our Covalent fashion brand to bring carbon-negative products into fashion, and help try to turn fashion into a force for environmental good,” said Herrema.

CONCLUSION

The idea of aircarbon is of considerable interest and importance in the modern world. To develop a product that not only meets the needs of manufacturers and consumers, but which actively reduces environmental pollution, is a key goal of researchers and scientists in this industry. The current generation of bioplastics, while far from perfect, has some remarkable traits, and continuing research into this field will enable further breakthroughs and improvements. Consumers need to recognise that the many positives plastic brings to our lives are balanced out by an equal number of negatives. Changes in the way we buy, consume and dispose of plastics are just as important as any scientific breakthrough.