Issue 12 2024, Acquisition International | 7 Seamless, Plant-Based Plastic Alternatives n entrepreneur and inventor with more than 25 years’ worth of experience in the field of establishing and running businesses across the US, Sharina Perry is an innovator, a strategist, and, above all, an unconventional thinker. It is on the back of these qualities that Sharina founded Utopia Plastix, an endeavour serving as the culmination of a decision to study plant material following her nephew’s NF2 diagnosis. Learning that certain plants could shrink tumours, Sharina first developed a line of plant-based health and wellness products. This was just the beginning, as Sharina had also discovered that a handful of the crops she was working with could be fashioned into impactful alternatives to the likes of wood, cotton, and even petrol. A spur-of-themoment decision to make a plant-based straw in her own home then paved the way for a similar approach to plastics. Sharina initially carried out third-party testing on the straws, before hiring a team of industry leaders in the polymer science sphere to help develop Utopia Plastix into the successful enterprise it is today. Serving as a truly sustainable alternative to plastic, the manufacturing process of Utopia Plastix’s products sees no chemical processing methods used, and, unlike with much of the competition, there is no extraction or molecular engineering of plant components used in resin production, which is provided in the either pellet or powder form. From this resin, more than 200 different products have been made with a variety of applications, from blown film and injection moulding to thermoforming, extrusion, and many more. Utopia Plastix’s commercial-grade resin is sourced from lowmaintenance, USDA-approved regenerative crops, with these able to be cultivated twice per year. From here, the resins are manufactured in FDA-compliant, ISO-certified facilities, before being integrated into the existing manufacturing processes of client operations without alterations being required to either tools or equipment. This positions Utopia Plastix as a leading provider with a convenient solution – one that is slowly but surely pioneering an industry-wide shift. With these game-changing abilities in tow, Sharina also serves as the visionary behind the Utopia Model, a sustainable ecosystem business model that she devised and delivers across industry. A number of Utopia Model companies have arisen as a result of this, and, as Sharina herself explains it, “they drive and control our vertically integrated supply chain.” She adds: “Our model includes farming, processing, manufacturing, and distribution”, highlighting an entire business model driven by something much greater than just profit. “We intentionally developed Utopia Plastix to be a solution. We are committed to not creating problems as we solve them. ” Because Sharina is an expert when it comes to sustainable strategies and circular economics, she recognises the issue of plastic waste cannot be solved with a one-size-fits-all approach. For example, even as better alternatives are produced, it remains vital to assess the impact on the environment had by the source material that these products stem from. Beyond this, it is imperative for corporations to take ownership and responsibility when it comes to the roles they play in impacting health and wellness across manufacturing and distribution processes. For Sharina, it is equally important that these corporations commit to holistic sustainability – rather than just doing so in their products – and to do so through policies which make sense. Investing in infrastructure is essential in realising this aim, especially when it comes to the likes of recycling and using alternative materials, and it is just as important for customers themselves to assess their consumption habits, rather than simply viewing sustainability as an issue for governments and businesses to tackle alone. It is with these key points in mind that Utopia Plastix has sustainable expansion on the cards as it looks towards the future. Leveraging the aforementioned Utopia Model – which prioritises driving impact in the areas of the environment, society, and the economy – the company seeks to open processing facilities throughout the US as its operation continues to scale. Ultimately, this means it will be able to continue to meet the demands of its discerning customers who are keen to focus on something much bigger than themselves. Contact: Sharina Perry Company: Utopia Plastix Web Address: https://utopiaplastix.com/ Because the development of plant-based compounds is increasingly becoming a vital component of the everevolving climate science industry, Utopia Plastix, established in 2018 by seasoned entrepreneur Sharina Perry, is creating and manufacturing a range of plant-based plastic alternatives that offer many benefits for businesses and also align with global sustainability initiatives. Named as the Best Plant-Based Plastic Alternative Manufacturer 2024 - Southern USA, we explore more about this minority-owned company and Sharina herself below. A
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