This plastic is made from milk and it vanishes in 13 weeks

https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2026/02/260227071922.htm

56 points · 19 comments · view on lemmy.world

19 Comments

BCsven@lemmy.ca · 38 pts · 172d (11 replies)

While neat, it still seems like poor stewardship. Rather than some easy cultivated fiber product you have to raise dairy cows and extract milk for a disposable plate. Seems like poor life cycle cost tally

lettruthout@lemmy.world · 13 pts · 172d

Agreed, very quickly. So we can honestly say this idea aged like milk?

Thedogdrinkscoffee@lemmy.ca · 8 pts · 172d

It is neat, and provides a backstop to prices and American dairy overproduction. It diversifies income streams for farmers, but yes at the cost of food. Remember the concerns of corn to ethanol. Food as fuel has human costs as does food as packaging.

Edit: and of course our plasticized environment is a total nightmare scenario.

chicken@lemmy.dbzer0.com · 4 pts · 172d

Probably more associated greenhouse gas emissions than the plastic one

deafboy@lemmy.world · 4 pts · 172d (2 replies)

Couldn't we use some yeast or e-coli instead of cows?

BCsven@lemmy.ca · 3 pts · 172d

I would hope so, but no dairy alternative has seemed to replicate milk protein properly. But I'm sure there will be q day to replicate it almost exactly as it is.

zero_spelled_with_an_ecks@programming.dev · 3 pts · 172d

There's already mushroom packaging, I can't imagine it would be much of a leap to plates.

SpikesOtherDog@ani.social · 2 pts · 172d (1 reply)

I don't have an answer for the cost of life, but I have heard many times that milk and cheese is overly abundant in the USA.

I do agree that it should be much cheaper to use cellulose/plant composite for these things. The problem is sealing it.

frongt@lemmy.zip · 10 pts · 172d

Yes, dairy is cheap in the US, only due to government subsidy.

kaprap@leminal.space · -8 pts · 172d (2 replies)

You don't have to raise cows to have milk, you can literally use the same fiber (Soy, Hemp) to use industrially to make this plastic

Just because it says 'milk' doesn't mean 'dairy'

Ledivin@lemmy.world · 10 pts · 172d

Except they're using casein, which does mean 'dairy.'

BCsven@lemmy.ca · 2 pts · 172d

It said milk protein, they were specifically talking about dairy milk, and not soy protien

Drusas@fedia.io · 11 pts · 172d

It's great to find alternatives to plastic, but could we focus on them not requiring animal products? Dairy cows live horrible lives (usually) and raising them is bad for the environment.

BagOfHeavyStones@piefed.social · 9 pts · 172d

Soon to be adopted by BMW for their cooling systems?

Jokulhlaups@lemmy.world · 5 pts · 172d (3 replies)

So now the plastic one can be marketed as vegan

Usernamealreadyinuse@lemmy.world · -1 pts · 172d (2 replies)

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Veganism

Veganism is the practice of abstaining from the use of animal products and the consumption of animal source foods, and an associated philosophy that rejects the commodity status of animals

So actually, no

smh@slrpnk.net · 2 pts · 172d

I get you. The person you responded to talked about "the plastic one" and meant the old style non-milk plastic one, but the milk plastic one is also a "plastic one". It was a tad unclear.

commie@lemmy.dbzer0.com · 2 pts · 172d

i dont think you have good reading comprehension.

GorGor@startrek.website · 2 pts · 172d

Milk based plastic was one of the first man made plastics produced back in 1890. Not 1980, 1890.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Timeline_of_plastic_development