5 Problems With Sustainable Materials That Will Make You Rich

Sofia — Sun, 28 Sep 2025 15:00:00 +0000

“We can’t just consume our way to a more sustainable world.” – Jennifer Nini

Please steal these ideas.

After spending a year diving deeper into the world of materials science and nanotech, one thing has become clear: sustainable materials are the future, and the future might make you rich.

However, before we get ahead of ourselves, there are a few problems scientists, entrepreneurs, and manufacturers need to solve, and today I want to talk to you about those exactly.

Where can we get leverage?

How can we scale up?

And who will be first?

#1: We don’t dispose of bioplastics effectively.

We think a lot about how well materials can be used for one exact task: Can your grocery bag carry your groceries to the car and into the kitchen? Does your plastic shoe sole carry you very far? Will your eggs be cracked in their plastic container?

Yes, that’s all very important, but there is still a big chunk we’re missing: what happens after?

In the surge of work done on biomaterials, we see an inspiring focus on using biodegradable materials like mycelium or algae.

So, if they happen to end up in the compost, they will not release microplastics- which is great.

But there is still a gap between (1) getting these materials to break down faster without compromising their main function, and (2) getting consumers to actually dispose of them correctly.

#2: Plant-based materials can be too weak for high-stress applications.

There is good news and bad news for everyone looking to get rich on bio-plastics.

The good news is research suggests it could be easier to improve the mechanical strength of the current family of bioplastics than it would be to make more “recalcitrant” plastics more biodegradable.

(Don’t ask me who decided to call all the other plastics “recalcitrant”, as though they were a gaggle of rowdy teenagers. But they are.)

The bad news?

Well, we aren’t quite there yet. For a lot of more high-stress applications, petroleum-based plastics still perform better.

Perhaps though, this is good news, because it means there’s an opportunity for anyone ready to innovate.

#3: Recycled plastic is not valued as highly as virgin plastic.

Okay, let’s take a break from talking about bioplastics, and talk about those “recalcitrant” petroleum-based plastics we all know so well.

You know, the ones that are causing all these problems we keep hearing about.

Specifically, let’s talk about recycling.

Now, I have already ranted about this in another post, but to sum it up: just about the biggest issue with plastic as they exist now is their end-of-life management.

That is to say, what happens after you’re done with plastic.

We want to believe recycling is saving a lot of our plastic, but unfortunately even the majority of trash you choose to recycle doesn’t end up getting repurposed.

And the lucky minority that does?

Well, in industry, recycled plastic just isn’t valued as highly as virgin plastic.

Of course, there are reasons for this that boil down to the purity (or lack thereof) of recycled plastic, and the fact that we just can’t easily remove other additives to turn it back into its raw form.

But ultimately, this fact acts as a huge disincentive for manufacturers to actually use our garbage as a raw material.

#4: There is a lack of sustainable construction materials that meet safety requirements.

One of the industries with a silently high carbon footprint is the construction industry.

Many materials, such as steel and concrete, are incredibly energy-intensive to produce, but have not seen promising alternatives on the market.

Some are emerging, such as Carbicrete, but there is still room for other alternatives that also match the performance of concrete and steel while also meeting safety requirements.

#5: Almost nobody is designing sustainable materials for circular disassembly.

We keep building objects that can’t be taken apart easily.

What’s the problem with this?

Well, to design without keeping disassembly in mind is to deny the materials you’re using another lifetime.

I’ve also discussed this in other posts, but it bears repeating.

When we design for disassembly, we create a circular economy instead of just adding to landfills.

Furthermore, we open ourselves up to a whole new realm of raw materials that we initially wrote off as “trash”.

The materials of the future that will make you rich.

There is a well-known quote from Shakespeare’s “The Tempest” that goes, “We are such stuff as dreams are made on.”

No, he wasn’t talking about materials science, I know.

But still- we can think of this as another way to describe the bridge between reality and fantasy.

When you take your dreams, and turn them into the world around you, what is that world made of?

Who gets to decide?

If you walk away with one thing, just know, it doesn’t have to be someone else getting rich off the innovations of the future.

It could be you.

Thought to Action

Ask “What If” Every Day: Start or end your day by writing one bold “What if…” question. What if your shoes were edible? What if your routines were designed for joy? These questions open space for unexpected insight.
Do a 5-Minute Redesign Challenge: Pick an object you use daily (a water bottle, backpack, phone case) and sketch or describe how you’d redesign it to be more circular, comfortable, or creative.
Make Space for Creative Input: Commit to one hour a week where you absorb inspiration—watch a documentary, visit a museum, or read outside your field. Creativity is fueled by unexpected collisions.
Redesign Something That’s Annoying You: Find one product, system, or space in your life that bugs you—and reimagine it. You don’t have to fix it in reality, just give yourself permission to sketch possibilities.
Start Your Future Job Library: Curate a mini reading list around your dream career or project. Not sure where to start? This post will show you how to learn from curiosity, not credentials.