Biodegradable packs are made of unusual material.

The problem of plastic pollution every year becoming more acute. Its solution do and private corporations, and government officials. Two Japanese companies have joined forces and developed packages that degrade in seawater, but it is incredibly similar to polyethylene, writes “Popular mechanics”.

Mitsubishi Chemical and the manufacturer of packaging materials has created a product based on the same mechanism by which microorganisms dissolve waste in the soil. Representatives of the companies say that the material is made from plant ingredients, such as sugar cane, and dissolves readily in seawater, which usually contains less microorganisms than the soil. For the complete destruction of such a package in the water takes about a year. Representatives of Mitsubishi Chemical say that the main goal of this project is the solution to the problem of marine plastic waste.

Currently the company is preparing to begin production in cooperation with the national companies in the country. Officials say that the production of such packages will require more sophisticated technologies, and therefore the cost of bags will be more than six times higher than conventional plastic bags.

Japan is not the first product of such a plan. Recently was developed by the same biodegradable reusable bag the largest Japanese manufacturer of shopping bags Fukusuke Kogyo in cooperation with the University of Gunma. Now they are preparing for the sale of the product.

Also, the country is actively working to reduce the use of plastic. Earlier this month the Japanese government began to require all retailers to charge customers for plastic bags from plant fibers are offered to clients free of charge.

Last week researchers published a study in which they noted that the volume of produced plastics is growing rapidly since 1950. In 2017, the number of produced plastic waste amounted to 348 million tons, it is expected that by 2040 the rate of accumulation of such wastes will triple.