SAN DIEGO—By the year 2050, the world’s population will reach nearly 10 billion, and there will be more plastic waste in the ocean than fish. California-based natural product company Outsect Corp. is launching TwentyFifty cutlery to help reduce the amount of food and beverage packaging waste found in landfills and in the ocean. The 100 percent biodegradable and compostable cutlery promises a design tough enough to pick up food, yet readily compost in a natural environment. This week, the company launched a Kickstarter campaign in the hopes of raising $30,000 to help bring its patent-pending, grain-based compostable cutlery to families worldwide.
With heightened public awareness of the scale of plastic pollution, cities such as Malibu and Seattle have recently banned the use of single-use plastic forks, spoons, and knives. TwentyFifty fork not only provides an alternative, but its texture and taste create a kinder, gentler way to enjoy food. The product’s combination of wheat, soy, and corn flour allows the cutlery to compost in a natural environment within 30 days, unlike plastic forks and spoons that can take over 1,000 years of work before breaking down.
“I wanted to bring compostable forks to the market because our modern lifestyles aren’t slowing down anytime soon,” said Zhicong ‘Zack’ Kong, Founder of TwentyFifty. “It was time to find a way to conveniently eat without damaging the planet. We invite people who care about the environment to join us in our campaign to eliminate food packaging waste.”
The innovation of the cutlery lies in the strength of its formula, which allows users to grab and hold meat and pasta, as well as a quinoa salad. The utensil resists up to 170 degrees Fahrenheit, including hot water. On the manufacturing side, TwentyFifty’s proprietary Airflow mold technology utilizes aerospace technology to allow the fork to be mass-produced with minimal impact to the environment. TwentyFifty cutlery is sustainable to produce and made in the United States.
TwentyFifty cutlery is currently available for preorder on Kickstarter. For more information about the campaign, visit bit.ly/TwentyFiftyKS.
