By Jennifer Aiken, ClearShark H2O Environmental Educator 

Q & A with Justin Cockroft, Director of Business Growth at BioSafe Solutions

Maybe you’ve seen the viral video of the sea turtle with a plastic straw stuck in its nostril, have read about plastic straw bans or have been to a restaurant that has a sign that says, “Skip the Straw – Save a Sea Turtle!” The days of seeing unsightly plastic straws polluting the environment and waterways are hopefully numbered thanks to an exciting new company, BioSafe. Through many of CSH2O’s connections in the area, the team discovered BioSafe and are thrilled to share more information with our readers. Check out the Q & A between Jen and Justin.

Q – Can you briefly share the history and timeline of your company? How did you and your business partner, Pollux, decide to form BioSafe?

A – BioSafe was founded in 2018 by Pollux Dietz during his life-changing sail from Poland to Singapore. In his voyages through Indonesia, he noticed how much single use plastic was floating in the water. Once he returned to the United States, we met up at Dock Street and he handed me some straws that were PLA (corn starch) and filled me in on the science behind bio polymers. My interest grew, and we started asking local restaurants if they would have interest in switching over and we had great success.

Q – What is the vision and mission of BioSafe?

A – Reducing the amount of microplastics in the environment will always be a top priority of Biosafe, and we have made a promise to always use the most cutting-edge biopolymers with our product line. The mission is to introduce more sustainable options in the everyday single- use plastics category to eliminate plastic that takes hundreds of years to break down.

Q – How are BioSafe straws different from other compostable straws?

A – Our straws are made from a bio-resign called PHA (derived from canola oil) and is home compostable along with being marine degradable.

Q – Why is this product so revolutionary? How did you get linked up with Danimer Scientific?

A – PHA is revolutionary because it’s the first marine degradable bio resin on the market. PHA has been around since the 1970’s but was traditionally used for medical purposes like internal stitches. Danmier has taken the process and scaled it up to be used in everyday single use plastics and more. We knew about PHA four years ago and built a relationship with Danmier through our distribution contacts as they were still in the process of developing the PHA.

Q – Your enthusiasm for this product is contagious…what is your motivation for creating BioSafe?

A – We are both sailors and enjoy the outdoors. The idea that we could help with a serious plastic issue along with educating the public about single use plastic is very motivating. We also have been working with KIBCU (Kent Island Beach Clean Ups) and have helped with taking out thousands of pounds of trash from the Chesapeake over the past four years.

Q – Where do you see BioSafe having the most positive environmental impact?

A – Being able to offer a full product line of PHA products can really help with the pollution issue in the environment but this will take some time. We will also continue to grow our beach clean up efforts here in the Bay, and we are talking with other groups to expand over the next couple of years to other waterways. With educational marketing and getting the youth involved through educational field trips to beach cleanups, we can have an impact.

Thank you, BioSafe! We can’t wait to see your straws being used in restaurants!

To learn more about BioSafe visit https://biosafe.co/