A biofriendly new material made from barley starch blended with fiber from sugarbeet waste—a strong material that turns into compost should it end up in nature—has been created at the University of Copenhagen. In the long term, the researchers hope that their invention can help put the brakes on plastic pollution while reducing the climate footprint of plastic production.
We already have “biodegradable” plastic made from corn starch. It’s not truly biodegradable, I reserve the right to wait for more information about whether barley starch is any better.