AT&T Becomes Latest Company to Use Plastic Made from Sugarcane

GreenBiz.com
By Tilde Herrera
Published September 13, 2011

Just in the last few years, we've seen a surge in companies experimenting with plastics derived from sugarcane. Procter & Gamble, for example, began using sugarcane-based plastics for some Pantene Prov-V, Covergirl and Max Factor products. Heinz also said a few months ago that it would license The Coca-Cola Company's PlantBottle technology for use in its ketchup packaging.

Sensing a market opportunity, Dow Chemical has launched a joint venture in Brazil to make bioplastic using ethanol made from sugarcane, we reported last month. The company claims it can do this at a competitive price-point.

Now we can add AT&T to the list. The telecommunications giants said yesterday it will begin using sugarcane-based plastic in packaging for its branded wireless accessories, such as cell phone cases and power cords that hit the shelves beginning Oct. 2. As much as 30 percent of the packaging will come from ethanol made from sugarcane.

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