Innovation and Science to Converge in Blue Hill to Create A Safer Alternative to PVA-based Detergent Pods
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
September 19, 2024 – Blue Hill, Maine – The Shaw Institute, a nonprofit science research center located in Blue Hill, Maine, is launching a collaboration with Dirigo Sea Farm to support them in developing new bioplastics made from sea kelp. The material has the potential to provide a safer alternative to traditional plastic currently used in consumer laundry and dish detergent pods.
Based in Portland, Maine, Dirigo Sea Farm’s founder utilized key research from the Shaw Institute in her initial investor conversations, which revealed that 75% of the PVA ( polyvinyl alcohol) plastic from traditional detergent pods escapes into our ecosystems. The problem? The material that makes up the pods hasn’t been studied as a pollutant and is potentially harmful to humans, wildlife and the environments we both share.
“We are fortunate and excited to be working at and with the Shaw Institute in our effort to create a bioplastic film from the Maine-grown kelp. It is vital that innovation continues in end markets for Maine kelp so we can continue to sustain and supplement the state’s commercial lobstering and fishing livelihoods,” said Alexa Coulombe McGovern, founder and CEO of Dirigo Sea Farm. “I’m super proud to be creating the first non-plastic detergent pod alternative, which I believe will be safer and truly biodegradable, and we look forward to having the Institute’s help in researching our process and product.”
Thousands of species of seaweed fill the world’s oceans, but only a handful are cultivated for human consumption. In North America, kelps, which thrive in cold, shallow, nutrient-rich waters, are the most commonly farmed varieties, with Maine being the top kelp producing state in the United States. In 2022, the state harvested almost one million pounds of this class of seaweed, which was more than a 20-fold increase from 2017.
“With our lab and expertise on the science of plastics, Maine’s abundance of kelp, and Dirigo’s passion to solve a significant problem, this provided a great match at multiple levels and is a wonderful story for us to tell,” said Dr. Charlie Rolsky, Executive Director and Senior Research Scientist at the Shaw Institute. “PVA is a soft plastic that disappears in water like salt, but plastic itself very much remains in there. This type of plastic has not been studied much as a pollutant despite the fact that an overwhelming amount of it ends up in the environment. So an alternative, made sustainably, is certainly more ideal.”
Rolsky also notes that since more research is needed on PVA as a pollutant, the Shaw Institute is working with Woods End Laboratories to study the impact of the material on plant and soil health. “A large portion of what leaves our wastewater treatment plants – often from the detergent pods in question – gets deposited as agricultural fertilizer. We need to start with how PVA in this fertilizer affects the health and safety of our soils and crops.”
Although more details about the collaboration will be released in the near future, it does include use of Shaw Institute lab space, sharing a lab technician, Jack Tennant, and general knowledge resources from the Institute’s research team.
To learn more about Dirigo Sea Farm, visit DirigoSeaFarm.com. To learn more about the Shaw Institute, visit ShawInstitute.org.
About Shaw Institute
Shaw Institute is a 501(c)(3) non-profit scientific research organization based in Blue Hill, Maine. Established nearly 35 years ago, the Institute’s mission is to work to discover and expose environmental threats to the health and wellbeing of people, wildlife and the environments we share. Our research on plastics, ocean pollution, marine mammal health, toxic chemicals, and climate change has informed public opinion and influenced public policy, impacting millions of people in Maine, the U.S. and worldwide.
About Dirigo Sea Farm
Dirigo Sea Farm is a woman-founded materials company using Maine kelp to produce bioplastic films to replace single-use and non-biodegradable plastic. Our first application is a Maine made laundry pod using Maine grown kelp that replaces harmful PVA laundry pods. All laundry pods today are plastic and Dirigo Sea Farm is the first non-plastic pod alternative that gives consumers convenience without sacrificing performance or ethics.
Dirigo Sea Farm exists to support and grow Maine’s heritage sea economy.
CONTACT:
Tod Hardin
Director of Marketing & Communications
Shaw Institute
(408) 656-3570
tod@shawinstitute.org
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