The challenge of plastic pollution in our environment will be a defining issue in the coming decades. To address this problem, scientists have developed a host of next generation biodegradable plastics that have the potential to improve the sustainability of single use products. Among these are a class of materials called PHAs which are of particular interest as their microorganism origins are also the means of their decomposition. Join us for a discussion with Nick Sandland as we explore the fascinating world of biodegradable polymers and what the future of plastics will look like. The Materialism Podcast is sponsored by SciSpace (https://scispace.com/) , a new tool that helps streamline the process of reading and exploring materials science literature. You can learn more about their services and tools by visiting their website (https://scispace.com/) . If you like to learn more about PHAs and their potential to transform the plastics industry check out GO!PHA [CLICK HERE (https://www.gopha.org/) ] The Materialism Podcast is sponsored by Cal Nano (https://www.calnanocorp.com/) , leading experts in spark plasma sintering and cryomilling technologies. You can learn more about their work and services by visiting their website (https://www.calnanocorp.com/) . This Materialism Podcast is also sponsored by Materials Today (https://www.materialstoday.com/) , an Elsevier community dedicated to the creation and sharing of materials science knowledge and experience through their peer-reviewed journals, academic conferences, educational webinars, and more. Thanks to Kolobyte and Alphabot for letting us use their music in the show! If you have questions or feedback please send us emails at materialism.podcast@gmail.com or connect with us on social media: Instagram (https://www.instagram.com/materialism.podcast/?hl=en) , Twitter (https://twitter.com/MaterialismPod) . Materialism Team: Taylor Sparks (co-host, co-creator), Andrew Falkowski (co-host, co-creator), Jared Duffy (production, marketing, and editing). Keywords: Green Plastic Bio Degradable Biodegradable Single Use PHA Pollution microplastics