Plants that grow plastic

Given a chance to splicing some genes, Greenbang would like to mix up nature to produce a gigantic kickass penguin, which would act as her henchman, butler and bodyguard. Luckily Greenbang has never been given the chance.

Some far more sensible types have been at working with the genetic mixing pot in an attempt to create environmentally friendly plastics with engineers at US firm Metabolix coming up with a strain of plants which grows plastic polymer inside. Jeepers.

Marketwatch says:

“This is a company that has market-disruptive technology,” said Pamela Bassett, a Cantor Fitzgerald analyst covering the industrial-biotechnology sector. “They have tremendous upside potential. They could be leaders on the ground floor of an entirely new industry.”

Although plastic-making plants are still a few years away from commercialization, Metabolix has already grown test batches of plastic-producing tobacco, switch grass and sugarcane plants. If successful, the company will cash in on its vision of mundane acres of weeds as plastics factories in the fields.