Innovation

Earthware Inc. sources their biodegradable PLA resin from the United States and has it shipped directly to their offices in Miami. The products are created through a process that heats the PLA resin into a liquid that is then injected into a mold that shapes and cools the resin into a product: CUTLERY!

On average in the United States we generate more than 10 million tons of plastic waste from containers and packaging, and only 7% is recovered for recycling. The problem is that plastic cutlery (typically made from Polypropylene as it is more cost cheaper at point of purchase) is non-biodegradable and can leach toxic chemicals such as styrene or kerosene. Worldcentric.org estimates 40 billion plastic utensils are used every year in just the United States. The majority of these are thrown out after just one use. According to Lynn Hasselberger of EcoWatch.com, “plastic constitutes approximately 90 percent of all trash floating on the ocean’s surface, with 46,000 pieces of plastic per square mile”. The worst part is that, “it takes 500-1,000 years for plastic to degrade."

Michael along with his mentor, Dr. Gibson from EcoTech Visions, a non-profit incubator in Miami that is helping to sustain the planet by growing green companies, have been working to make Earthware Inc. products to replace plastics.

“I see it around me. I go to family parties, networking events, and you see these really nice elegant plates but they’re plastic and just [thrown away] and for no reason really. They can be reused but no one wants too, no one cares,” expresses Michael.

Inspiration

Michael Caballero played baseball during his adolescence and high school years. He knew he wanted something more than baseball, “I just wanted to work in a field that gave me the chance to improve peoples lives, I want to make a big impact in the world and really do something impactful” says Michael. After reading the book, The New Industrial Revolution by Peter Marsh, Caballero became interested in Green Manufacturing and joined the US Green Building Council South Florida Chapter. During his first meeting he met Dr. Gibson who introduced him to the idea of EarthWare Inc. Michael immediately jumped on board and began planning the manufacturing process. Michael claims, “EarthWare Inc. is one of the steps for making that impacting life I thought about in high school”.

The book, Cradle to Cradle written by William McDonough and Michael Braungart, heavily influenced Michael and his vision for Earthware Inc. The book offers and discusses several examples of corporations that are not only doing less harm by eliminating waste altogether in the environment but also helping the community. This has become his ultimate goal.

Overall impact

Earthware’s products are created to serve as an eco-friendly and more sustainable alternative to the market’s current “single use” products that tend to be made from oil based plastics. By opting to use PLA resin, Earthware’s manufacturing process emits less than half of the greenhouse gases of the more popular plastic options.

The company is in the process of creating an industrial composting facility to ensure the carbon neutrality in the disposal of not only their products but also other compostable and disposable products on the market in South Florida. “Starting by early 2016, EarthWare will begin picking up compostable, disposable products from businesses in South Florida and delivering them to our industrial composting facility, so they may be composted properly,” states Mr. Caballero.

Earthware hopes it’s product NEVER ends up in a landfill and stays in its natural cycle. As explained by Mr. Caballero, “after somebody uses our product, we are able to recover it. So once we recover it, we can either reform it if they’re any defects, compost it or we resell them."

For every one wholesale contract, Earthware will require 2 full time employees. They have partnered with CareerSource South Florida in order to give Miami residents the opportunity to not only earn a suitable wage but also gain vital training that will make them more valuable for EarthWare Inc. and future employers.

Business benefit

“As much money as you make is your impact. The more money you make, the more you’re selling, the more people care. The more money we make, we know that the more cutlery we are putting out in the world that is replacing plastic cutlery.” –Michael Caballero

The Earthware product line is expanding to offer a more complete line of cutlery. Their first Industrial Composting facility will open late in 2015 and a pick-up and delivery service for disposables begins early in 2016.

Social and environmental benefit

“Were eliminating a lot of externalities that come with manufacturing and replacing them with a product that is designed to be recycled and reused endlessly.” –Michael Caballero

EarthWare is improving the planet by reducing their carbon footprint, while simultaneously creating jobs for citizens who were formerly incarcerated, members of the military, and low income urban residences. By providing desirable jobs that have desirable income, they hope to reduce crime and poverty.

Interview

Michael Caballero, co-founder