AWARD YEAR
2021
CATEGORY
Work
GOALS
Responsible Consumption & Production, Climate Action
KEYWORDS
Bioplastic, carbon negative, compostable , alternative to plastic, Sustainable Material
COUNTRY
United States of America
DESIGNED BY
Jessica Smith
WEBSITE
https://www.jamesdysonaward.org/2020/project/carbyn/
Carbyn
Carbon negative plastic material meant to be scaled
Carbyn seeks to mitigate the climate crisis by creating a carbon negative bioplastic that stores more carbon than it releases throughout its lifecycle. This bioplastic is home compostable and meant to intervene in the use of small plastic objects.
The material is a biocomposite made of two bio-based ingredients: biochar and PHA bioplastic. Biochar is a unique material because it is carbon-negative — meaning it can sequester more carbon than it releases into the atmosphere during its production. Carbyn is also home compostable and will actually make the soil more fertile as it biodegrades.
Carbyn is unique in that it is a drop-in solution to current plastic production processes, meaning it doesn’t require retrofits or the development of any new machinery.