Danniell Domingo

Recycling plastics alone will not solve plastic pollution, but transforming the root cause into an eco-friendly alternative could revolutionize the plastic industry.


A team of researchers from the University of the Philippines Los Baños (UPLB) has developed polyhydroxyalkanoates (PHAs)—biodegradable plastics made from bacterial polymers.

Led by Dr. Jey-ar Ventura, the team aims to create a sustainable alternative to traditional plastics using locally available resources for microbial PHA production.

“Our primary goals are to lower the cost of PHA bioplastics, identify niche applications, and increase their marketability,” Ventura said in an exclusive interview.

The process involves fermenting bacteria to produce PHAs, verifying the presence of PHAs under a microscope, and purifying and extracting them for resin production—all within 24 hours.

Plastics are everywhere in daily life, and the Filipino culture of using small-quantity, single-use plastics exacerbates waste. 

Filipinos consume around 164 million sachets daily, with most ending up in the environment or landfills.

Motivated by this, Ventura and his team chose PHAs over other bioplastics like polylactic acid or starch-based plastics because PHAs are fully biodegradable and mimic the properties of conventional plastics.

However, PHA production remains expensive due to the high cost of materials needed to grow bacteria. 

To address this, Ventura’s team is exploring cheaper raw materials, such as agro-industrial residues and by-products.

The project leader added that they are also optimizing the entire production process, in hopes of making a lower cost PHA as compared to established ones around the world.

PHA-derived bioplastics benefit various industries such as packaging, cosmetics, healthcare, and agriculture.

Supported by the Department of Science and Technology since 2017, the team is preparing to scale up production and establish a local PHA industry. 

Equipment procurement and researcher training are underway to transition from lab-scale to large-scale manufacturing.

“By showcasing the technology’s potential, we hope to attract support for the commercialization of our PHA bioplastic,” the researchers said on the potential industry collaboration.