In the Netherlands, corn is a source of sustainable tiles.
In California, however, a startup is using corn waste to create a super-absorbent and biodegradable material to replace the petrochemical liners in products like nappies and hygiene pads.
The team developed special microorganisms to convert the corn’s sugar into a polymer, which can absorb as much liquid as materials made from fossil fuels. The fermentation process produces almost no CO2.
The potential is enormous: around 300,000 single-use nappies are discarded every minute globally. Using different microorganisms could help produce materials for the textile industry and beyond.
A female founder in Nigeria is using banana fibres for sanitary pads. Another female-led startup in Berlin is making pantyliners and tampons from seaweed.
