We once discovered a new agricultural waste that seemed highly potential for the biomaterial we were developing.
However, we soon realized that "waste" didn't mean easy to source. Finding a reliable supplier was much harder than we expected. In reality, many agricultural byproducts already have established value chains, serving as animal feed, compost, biofuel, or raw materials for other industries.
A natural material isn't automatically the most practical or sustainable choice if it already has economic value elsewhere. Diverting it into biomaterial production could create unnecessary competition.
That's why we evaluate not only material performance, but also whether a feedstock is genuinely underutilized and available in sufficient quantities.
Shouldn't a truly sustainable biomaterial be judged not only by its performance, but also by how wisely it’s feedstock is chosen?