Health care is full of disposable plastics. Only on US Health Care Facilities, More than 2,800 tonnes Plastic packages and products are launched daily.
Few people are more aware of this eddie yu. Early in the pandemic, YU founded a company that made disposable masks. One day, his niece was with him while sorting the recycling and asked him if his mask was also recyclable.
“I told her that we can’t really recycle the mask,” he told TechCrunch. “As soon as he interrupted me and said,” Oh, then you make a lot of rubbish every day. ”
The words of the little girl glued to the YU, and after the sale of the mask company in 2021, began to make modifications.
In an attempt to tame the plastic problem of the single use of Healthcare, YU’s new company Okosix has developed a new biodegradable polymer. Okosix is part of the Battlefield Startup and will present on TechCrunch Disprwt later this month in San Francisco.
Okosix combines various compounds, including cellulose, chitosan derived from crustacean shells, wax and privately owned material. The result is cheaper than polyogic acid (PLA), a widely used biodegradable plastic, with functionality that is “itself or even better than PLA,” Yu said.
Among the plastics, the term “biodegradation” is often used abuse, Yu said. Some require very specific conditions to decompose, while others simply collapse into micro- or nanoplasts.
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“We have international certifications to prove that the material has passed completely in six months,” Yu said.
Okosix starts with facial masks, but it also plans to make surgical nappies, diapers and napkins, Yu said. “We want to use a safe material, non -plastic, to replace minerals for disposable products.”
Although the company has not yet performed a formal life cycle analysis, YU said that the Okosix material should have a 90% lower carbon footprint than that of polypropyle, a widely used disposable plastic.
Okosix sells its material to third parties, which then convert it into various products. “Right now, our business model is like gore-tex,” Yu said. “We don’t do the finish products. But we do the mattress. We do the raw materials and then we work with companies like 3m.” He added that the name could become a significant part of the business, similar to Gore-Tex.
The start has raised $ 2.3 million, including investment by the founders and other angel investors.
Listen to more from Okosix and dozens of other newly established first -hand businesses, participate in valuable laboratories and make constant connections to this year’s disorder, which will take place on October 27 until 29 in San Francisco.
