Bioplastics maker MHG has sent out two road warriors to battle plastics pollution.
On Sept. 2, Cesare Poccianti and Michele Sabatini left Florence, Italy, on an MHG-sponsored trip to raise awareness of global plastics pollution. The two travelers will go through 30 countries and cross the Himalayas before arriving in Singapore in mid-December. The trip will cover more than 9,000 miles.
Along the way, they'll meet with area residents and officials to gain an understanding of the role that plastics play in everyday lives. They'll talk about the impact that oil-based plastics have on the environment after disposal, as well as what they see as “record plastic pollution” along coastal, desert, mountainous and jungle terrains, officials with Bainbridge, Ga.-based MHG said in a recent news release.
The pair will post up updates via Facebook (in both English and Italian) and on an Italian language website, florencetosingaporoverland.com.
MHG “is more than just a manufacturer of 100 percent biodegradable plastic – it's a company that cares about the environment and everything in it,” MHG Chairman and CEO Paul Pereira said in the release. “There are many countries that don't have effective recycling programs in place, which has led to an exorbitant amount of misplaced plastic in the environment.”
“This trip will provide us with valuable insight regarding how these countries are currently combatting this global epidemic, as well as raise awareness about other alternatives that (MHG) can provide.”
MHG – formally Meredian Holdings Group Inc. – recently started its first commercial-scale fermenter making PHA in Bainbridge. Officials said the start of the fermenter makes MHG the world's largest PHA maker. The material can be based on oils from soybeans, cottonseed or corn.
