Plant Starch

What exactly is it?

Plant Starch Material is made from a mix of 70% plant materials like corn, potatoes, and other vegetables and 30% fillers (like polypropylene) for strength and heat tolerance. The plant materials are renewable, meaning they can be grown again and again.

Why we use it?

Plant Starch Material is made largely from renewable plants — unlike traditional plastics which are derived from petroleum and are nonrenewable. Replacing as much of the virgin plastic as possible with renewable materials means less virgin petroleum goes into each product. Also, Eco-Products PSM Cutlery has a high-heat tolerance of 93°C (200° F), which is why we use it to make cutlery for use with foods at high temperatures.

What's cool about it?

If you don't require a certified compostable solution, our PSM Cutlery is heat tolerant, durable and contains nearly 70% renewable materials. That means that most of the material in this cutlery is not derived from traditional plastics!

What is not so cool about it?

While Plant Starch itself is made of renewable plants, only about 70% of this cutlery is made of Plant Starch Material. The remaining 30% is comprised of strengtheners that allow you to have a heat tolerant, strong cutlery solution. Unfortunately, these strengtheners are not compostable. It can be challenging for compost facilities to tell the difference between this cutlery and other compostable options, so we encourage you to do your best and keep it out of the compost waste stream. We have compostable and recycled content cutlery if you need a different solution, and we think it's important that you know as much as possible about Plant Starch. Plastic cutlery is typically not recyclable either, so PSM cutlery must be thrown away.