Is rice starch a sustainable alternative to plastic?

The manufacturing, processing and disposal of packaging materials such as plastic, thermocol moulds and foams releases harmful toxins that are environmentally damaging. Ironically, most of the synthetic objects that we use for the shortest time, such as plastic drinking cups, are often made from these materials.

‘Objects that we use sometimes for just seconds can take many thousands of years to break down,’ explains Kurian. The Central Saint Martins graduate’s Super-Synthetics project was designed to challenge this wasteful practice of creating short-lived objects from these harmful materials.

Kurian created a plastic cup alternative that disintegrates after 10 minutes of use by layering rice starch. Gelatin was also re-engineered to create a shot glass that is ideal for use in a marathon or medical setting where cups only need to last for a few seconds. More substantial objects such as a pint glass and a water bottle that could potentially last for two days were also made by increasing the number of starch layers in the manufacturing process.