Plastic from Sugar? If only Benjamin knew...

Mr. McGuire: I want to say one word to you. Just one word.
Benjamin: Yes, sir.
Mr. McGuire: Are you listening?
Benjamin: Yes, I am.
Mr. McGuire: Plastics.

According to a recent Forbes article, a handful of companies large and small have been working on replacing petroleum-based ingredients in chemicals with renewable ingredients. In the latest development, Genomatica, a small, private sustainable-chemicals company in San Diego, says it can now make thousands of tons of a foundational chemical in plastics using sugar instead of a petroleum-based ingredient. Very cool. Read more here.