If nature made plastic

Nature

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Card Shellworks

Shellworks

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Shellworks is revolutionizing materials with a bold mission to eliminate plastic pollution and drive real, transformative change. They have addressed the issue at its core by creating Vivomer—a groundbreaking, waste-free material built collaboratively with nature. Grown in the cells of naturally occurring microbes found in soil and marine environments, Vivomer is designed to be durable and reliable during use, just like plastic. The difference? Once disposed of, the same microbes found in nature consume and break it down completely, leaving nothing behind. It turns out nature makes plastic, and this is it.

Breaking the reliance on petroleum by working to eliminate plastic pollution.

  • Why this matters

    Plastic is polluting our oceans, overwhelming landfills, and invading our bodies. Shellworks is leading the charge to create a future free of petroleum plastics, toxic chemicals, and waste. Their game-changing, natural material, Vivomer, is designed to preforms like plastic during use but biodegrades naturally in soil or compost once disposed of, leaving nothing behind. Uncompromising in both aesthetics and functionality, this innovative solution delivers the same durability and scalability of plastic, while making a powerful step toward a cleaner, more sustainable world.

  • What you can do

    Support brands that are shaping the future with Vivomer and look for the Shellworks logo on the bottom of products. Inspire your favorite brands to leave plastic behind and embrace materials that are home-compostable and built by nature. Together, we have the power to accelerate the shift and show brands that there is a better way.

    Learn More

  • Sw stat 2

    800,000

    Units shipped to date

  • 27 tons of plastic saved to date

    27 Tons

    Of plastic saved to date

  • Sw stat 1

    7.4B 

    Tonnes of plastic waste

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Nature: Learn how we strengthen our bond with the natural world. Centered simple illustration of an orange flower with a yellow center.
Tumo Center for Creative Technologies: Coding the climate future. Inset photo of a students working in a bright red auditorium.
Nia Tero: Thriving Peoples, Thriving Places. Inset closeup photo of hands holding a seed pod.
Hudson River Park: Bringing nature to New Yorkers. Inset photo of a group of people on the shore looking at Little Island in New York. A futuristic park on concrete stilts sits above the river in the background.
Pioneer Works: A space where art and science intersect. Inset photo of large event space with speakers on the stage and a projection of a dolphin poking its head out of the water towards a trainer in the background.
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The High Line: An oasis with an industrial origin story. Two inset photos, gardener pruning a tree, another of a bee on a large pink flower.
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Water Foundation: The future needs fresh water. Inset photo of a person fly-fishing near a cliffside lake.
The Climate Reality Project: Training people to build a clean energy future. Inset image: Woman sitting down while smiling and clapping.
Project Ceti: Learn to Speak Whale. Inset video of whales under water.
Card Conservation International
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