Corn starch polymers

• Corn starch polymers were developed to replace oil-based thermoplastics. They're often used in the manufacture of products which are intented to have a short lifespan, such as disposable cutlery. This is because they're degradable
• Corn starch polymers being degradable is an environmental advantage, as oil-based polymers can cause huge environmental concerns, partly due to the period of time they remain in the environment
• Oil-based polymers are often washed into the oceans where they exist for many years and pollute the environment or are ingested by marine life
• Corn starch polymers are made from polylactic acid found in high starch vegetables such as potatoes, corn and maize. These are all renewable sources, which is beneficial, and they don't take as much energy to produce as the extraction of oil does
• Corn starch polymers decompose within a shorter time than oil-based polymers so they don't litter our environment; some have even been developed to become a food for marine life when they're discarded
• Corn starch polymers are also food safe, so are used in the production of food packaging in order to restrict the effect that packaging has on the environment