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#2 Oregon startup developing dissolvable plastic made out of algae

In Oregon, a startup founded by three University of Oregon students is developing dissolvable plastic made from brown algae.
David Crinnion, Algotek’s cofounder and CEO, says the product is edible and also dissolves in water in less than 60 seconds. “It won’t hurt anything,” Crinnion tells the Daily Emerald. “A tree could absorb it, a dog could eat it, a baby could eat it.” Conventional plastics, by comparison, take centuries to biodegrade. Justin Lebuhn, chief sustainability officer and cofounder of AlgoteK, says the company’s plastic has the added benefit of removing carbon dioxide from the atmosphere. “If the consumer cares about carbon emissions, their carbon footprint, fossil fuel consumption,” Lebuhn adds, “the growth of our product is going to help reduce those impacts.” The company has yet to decide on its first product application, but aims to raise $75,000 and roll out its first product in 2019.