By: Clover Chang, U.S. Grains Council Director in Taiwan

In Taiwan, salad boxes at McDonald’s, Slurpee cups at 7-11 convenience stores, and cold drink cups at Starbucks Coffee all have a common factor: U.S. corn. These products are made with an environmentally-friendly corn-based polylactic acid (PLA) packaging material from the United States.

The U.S. Grains Council helped introduce PLA in Taiwan with an aggressive product marketing and public awareness campaign which highlighted PLA’s role in combating the waste of plastic products that cause environmental pollution problems. This 100 percent biodegradable plastic is estimated to replace about 8 percent of traditional plastic products.

In early December, I had the honor of speaking about this bio-material at an international symposium held by the Environmentally Biodegradable Polymer Association. During this event, 11 speakers discussed the developments, products, applications and updated market situation of bio-materials.

My presentation focused on how imported resins made from U.S. corn are a win-win situation to help minimize waste in Taiwan as well as develop this environmentally-friendly industry. The Council will continue promoting this environmentally-friendly product that can be readily used around the world.