“Everything that exists on earth is part of a natural cycle. The problem with plastic is that it does not belong to any of these cycles” – Scott Munguia.
In 2014 Scott Munguia, a Chemical Engineering student, founded Biofase in Monterrey, Mexico, having discovered, in 2012, that avocado seeds contain a biopolymer similar to the one used to create bioplastic. The material, which is 60 percent avocado and 40 percent synthetic organic compound, is non-toxic, made from food waste, and is biodegradable, decomposing in landfill in 240 days.
Currently, more than 80 percent of the world’s bioplastics are made from scarce food resources such as corn and potatoes, whereas Biofase makes bioplastic from agro-waste that is so abundant it could satisfy eight times the current demand for bioplastics. Mexico grows and processes some 50 percent of the world’s avocados so Biofase collects the seeds from companies that process the avocados to make guacamole or avocado oil. Each month the company collects 130 tons of avocado seeds that previously would have been sent to landfill and burned. It then turns them into plastic using its patented technology, and creates sets of knives, forks, and spoons out of it, together with plastic straws. If they are kept cool and dry, these products last for a year before they start to degrade, compared with the traditional plastic utensils that end up in landfill where they can take up to 1000 years to decompose.
Scott, 21 at the time, developed the idea as part of a student project together with two of his student colleagues at the Technologico de Monterrey, one of Mexico’s leading universities. It took them two years to research and develop it but the venture, located in the University’s incubator grew rapidly in the first year of operation. With a turnover of $350,000, it was valued in 2014 at $1million in a bioplastics market worth $5.8 billion. Every day the plant consumes15 tons of avocado seeds and each produces 130 tons of bioplastic, exporting 80 percent of its products to 11 countries in America, Africa, and Europe, including the UK, where two Surrey housewives are its sole distributors through their company 4eco. While they recognise the need and the market for the product, they also acknowledge the bad image of the avocado industry including allegations of deforestation, illegal plantations, and drug cartels. This concerns them not least as it may affect customer acceptance of the product. However, they also know that Biofase works with its farmers and is putting money back into the sector, creating groups of farmers who are working together. Also, they know that Biofase does not take food away from people. As Scott says “How can you make bioplastic from food? There are so many people starving and there is so much trouble around the cost of corn. It is absurd and out of place”. In addition, Biofase is involved in two special projects to support entrepreneurship and marine fauna in Mexico.
The venture now operates out of three sites across Mexico and is the winner of 5 national and two international awards. It is currently exploring the introduction of new products such as plates, cups, and food containers, but when talking about his plans for the future, Scott stresses that the company “aims to become an international leader in the development and distribution of bioplastics within five years. In addition to this Biofase has a strong commitment to developing new technologies that will give bioplastics the opportunity to fairly compete with oil derivatives without affecting quality and the environment”. His aim is for Biofase to be 10 percent cheaper than petroleum-derived plastic.
Biofase is a harmonious enterprise that addresses SDGs 8 (Decent Work and Economic Growth), 9 (Industry, Innovation, and Infrastructure), 11 (Sustainable Cities and Communities), 12 (Responsible Consumption and Production), 13 (Climate Action), 14 (Life Below Water), and 15 (Life on Land).
© Harmonious-Entrepreneurship.org / Harmonious Entrepreneurship Ltd. (2020-2023). Unauthorized use and/or duplication of this material without express and written permission from the author(s) noted is strictly prohibited. Excerpts and links may be used, provided that full and clear credit is given to Harmonious-Entrepreneurship.org/ Harmonious Entrepreneurship Ltd with appropriate and specific direction to the original content.
HES 2020-2025 
1 comment