Currently modern day bioplastics are usually made from raw materials, such as corn and other food sources. It was this need to find a green product that utilised waste, as opposed to foods, that gave rise to BioFase, says Scott Munguia, CEO of Biofase.
"We identified a need to find new sources and methods to produce real sustainable plastics. Avocado seeds are a significant waste product in Mexico, due to the large scale production and industrial processing that takes place.
"We are proud to offer a product that is not only green, but is also made using a
product considered to be wastage."
"At the moment there are no other significant uses for avocado seeds. Some companies use the material as compost, but the majority throw them away, some even paying other companies to handle the waste for them. We see an opportunity to create a new industry around avocado seeds."
The company has recently been recognised for its efforts, winning an award at the International and Entrepreneurial Forum "Spin 2012," in Madrid, Spain. In addition to this the company has also been recognised as one of the most promising green companies within Mexico, achieving top 20 status in the Cleantech Challenge contest.
Currently the company plan on using the plentiful resources of avocado seeds available in Mexico, without recourse to seeds from other countries, as Scott explains, "In the short and middle term we will use avocado seeds exclusively from Mexico. it is economically more convenient to use seeds from our own country. However, we do not rule out the possibility of using seeds from other countries in the long term if our company expands."
However, it is planned to sell the product itself on the international marketplace, once the production and distribution in Mexico is developed.
"The US is an important market for bioplastics and is geographically convenient to explore the potential. Other Latin American countries, such as Brazil and Chile are also starting to incorporate green products within their own markets, so we foresee international market exploration in the future."
Looking ahead to the future, Scott says he would be pleased to see others take up Biofase's lead on this use of avocado seeds.
"We would be glad to see other companies using new raw materials in a sustainable way. It would be a huge accomplishment for our company to see that avocado seeds are considered a new source. As I stated before, we have the commitment to sharing our vision of real sustainability."
