Newlight Technologies, Inc., a nature-based biotechnology company creating regenerative materials to help improve the environment, announced the launch of the world’s first plastic-free AIRCARBON®-coated paper products, advancing the company’s mission to help end the accumulation of plastic and carbon in the environment.
Most paper products today, from coffee cups to takeout containers, are coated with plastic in order to create resistance to moisture and grease, ensuring that the paper products do not become soggy and lose functionality. The combined effect of coating paper with plastic is an environmentally destructive end of life, making it challenging to either recycle due to combined materials or compost due to the presence of non-environmentally-degradable plastic. To help overcome this, Newlight has introduced the world’s first paper products coated with AIRCARBON, a plastic-free PHB biomaterial made using a nature-based carbon capture process, resulting in a paper product that is moisture-resistant, grease-resistant, and plastic-free.
“Our mission is to see the end of plastic accumulation in this generation,” said Newlight CEO Mark Herrema. “That isn’t going to be easy, but it is possible, and the launch of AIRCARBON-coated paper products is another important step towards fulfilling that objective.”
AIRCARBON-coated paper plates and bowls are now available online at www.target.com and at select in-store Target locations in the U.S., adding to the portfolio of AIRCARBON cutlery and straws currently being distributed by Newlight and its partners at hundreds of locations across the U.S. as sustainable replacements for plastic cutlery and straws.
Newlight Technologies, Inc. (“Newlight”) is a nature-based biotechnology company based in California converting air and greenhouse gas into a regenerative biomaterial called AIRCARBON®. AIRCARBON is a high-performance, carbon-negative PHB biomaterial produced by naturally-occurring microorganisms that is being used to replace plastic in industrial segments ranging from foodware to fashion. Newlight’s mission is to help end plastic pollution and climate change by replacing plastic with AIRCARBON, creating global-scale economic and environmental value.