đ„€Omao: A Truly Biodegradable Plastics Company
Saving our environment with one biodegradable straw at a time
New York City alone uses 100 million plastic straws per year. After these straws are used, they often end up in the ocean and harm the environment and wildlife. Though many other companies have worked towards plastic alternativesânamely paper and metal strawsâthese alternatives have yet to achieve mass adoption. This weekâs startup is working to create new, sustainable plastics that are better at biodegrading than any plastic straw out there.Â
đ„ Whatâs the Deal?
When Alex Zhang was working as an investment professional in Midtown New York, heâd start the day off with a cup of coffee from Pret. And every morning, heâd suffer the same plight of being stuck with a soggy paper straw halfway through his coffee, the flavor tainted by the taste of cardboard. Coupled with his longstanding desire to be environmentally friendly, the lackluster alternative of paper straws did not sit right with him. In 2020, Alex decided there had to be a better way for his morning coffee to be both environmentally friendly and tasty. Thus, Omao was born.Â
Omao is a company developing plastics using PHA (polyhydroxyalkanoate), a new biomaterial that fully composts in nature in 60-90 days. Currently, the mainstream biodegradable plastic is made out of corn, which can only be composted at an industrial waste treatment plant Throwing out this corn-based straw in the trash would be just as bad as a normal plastic straw. Omao is dedicated to adding truly biodegradable products to the âgreen plasticsâ space, a market that is expected to grow 6% annually and is currently valued at over 250 billion USD.Â
Omao stands out in its mission to be at the forefront of creating not only biodegradable plastic straws but also biodegradable drinkware and cutlery. They aim to become leaders in the industry and a one-stop shop for all things plastic. To date, Omao has already sold 2 million straws that are used at over 100 different restaurants. By the end of this year, Omao plans to roll out a line of compostable plastic drinkware, and by the end of next year, a line of compostable plastic cutlery.Â
đ Fast Facts
Company:Â Omao
Website:Â https://www.omaostraw.com/
Founded:Â 2020
Stage: Seed
Industry: Consumer, Food (Greener Alternatives)Â
SDG:Â #12: Responsible Consumption and Production
Team: Comprised of a mix of people from all different races and backgrounds driven to create Omao by the shared interest of building a socially responsible company | Founders: Alex Zhang, Sem Ducatl, Kristy Reed, Kevin Kwok, Chris Chen
Traction:Â Recognized as a top ten founder at the Greater Good Pitch Challenge, Columbiaâs Champion for the Allianze Social Enterprise Challenge; Featured in Forbes.Â
â€ïž Why We Love It
âïž No More Soggyâor HarmfulâStraws
Since its founding in 2020, Omao has sold over 2 million straws, replacing 5000 pounds of what would otherwise be harmful non-compostable plastics. They are represented in 17 different states and over 100 restaurants and ensure the legitimacy of their products by obtaining certifications that guarantee they are entirely biodegradable.Â
đ± Impact Driven From Day One
Though PHA is a much more expensive material to produce than corn-based âbiodegradableâ plastic straws, Alex and the Omao team made the use of PHA a top priority. Theyâre dedicated to their values of adding a truly environmentally beneficial product to the world. Our conviction is that many consumers and companies who are already willing to pay extra for other âbiodegradableâ straws are willing to shell out a little extra for a truly biodegradable straw.Â
đšđ»âđŹ Foreseeable Expansion into Other Products
Omao has a lot of potential to take its special plastic material and apply it to creating a line of other biodegradable products such as compostable drinkware and utensils, or even to other domains like packaging and furniture.Â
đ Get Involved
You can purchase Omaoâs straws here
Follow Omao on Instagram,  Twitter, and LinkedIn to get updates
Inquiries? Email them at info@omaostraw.com
âSarah Gu (Columbia University)