When U.S. service members eat meals in the field during combat missions, the plastic silverware they use comes from South Georgia. Now the Bainbridge-based company that supplies American troops has big plans to ramp up creation of its biodegradable plastic products.
The company called MeredianHoldings Group is making a completely biodegradable plastic from canola oil. Meredian CEO Paul Pereira says, compared to the vast majority of plastic made from fossil fuels, his company’s is an environmentally friendly and sustainable alternative.
“And it looks and feels exactly like a plastic bottle or a garbage bag. You couldn’t tell the difference," he says. "The only way you could tell the difference is if you threw it in your backyard, one disappears and one doesn’t.”
Pereira says the company contracts with local canola farmers to produce its plastic. And with international interest pouring in, he says he expects to hire thousands of people in the Bainbridge area within five years.
He also says to look out for the next issue of Fortune magazine, which features MHG. That's expected to hit newsstands Nov. 17.
