Shamira Pillay and Charissa de Gouveia

Plastic is used in almost every industry, yet according to the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development, only 9% of the world’s plastic is recycled. The rest is discarded, eventually breaking down into microplastics, which don’t decompose. Instead, they end up in the water we drink, the food we eat and the air we breathe. Plastic is a problem, especially when you take into account that over 460 million metric tonnes of it is produced annually. One of the ways researchers are trying to reduce plastic pollution is by developing biodegradable plastic alternatives, or bioplastics.

“Stopping plastic is not feasible,” says Charissa de Gouveia, a Wits Master’s student in chemical engineering. “Ever since I was a child, I’ve always had an interest in plastics. I’ve always wanted to be part of the solution.” When De Gouveia met fellow Master’s student Shamira Pillay in chemistry class, they teamed up to enter the Innovathon on Social Entrepreneurship competition, a collaboration between the Amrut Foundation and Wits. They decided to create a biodegradable alternative to polymer plastics using sugarcane, calling their entry EcoCane Innovations.