From July 24 to 25, AgriWrap had the opportunity to attend PlastiCon 2025! The event was held at the new Marine Science Institute Building. This conference allowed our team to engage with leading experts, government officials, and scientists committed to sustainable solutions in the fight against plastic pollution.

We had the opportunity to speak with a research group from the University of the Philippines Diliman that had been a previous contact of ours. They were telling us about their algae-based plastics and how they were able to create pellets through an extrusion process.

In addition to this, we spoke with the mayor about one of the subsidized government programs, Joy of Urban Farming. We were able to get a contact and will be continuing to communicate with them to learn more about their program and services. 

PlastiCon was incredibly beneficial, allowing us to speak to a variety of people involved in different sectors working towards limiting plastic pollution. We spoke to a member of the DOST and received his contact information. Many new opportunities and connections presented themselves through talking with others. They also incorporated smaller breakout sessions, where you could choose topics and talks to attend. These breakout sessions included a variety of topics including the pressing issue of microplastics, current government regulations, and bio-based solutions to the plastic issue. 

One presentation proposed the idea of using bamboo or coconut husks instead of the single-use plastics for gifting flowers. It was very inspirational to hear about sustainable alternatives to traditionally wasteful practices. 

At the end of the first day, there was a ribbon-cutting ceremony for the art exhibit that showed some of the effects of plastic pollution. An artist destroyed one of her paintings making the metaphor that it is so hard to bring yourself to destroy art, but we have no problem destroying our oceans. The night concluded with dinner and artists and dancers performing. 

 We greatly enjoyed learning about others’ work and building connections through networking. Through this experience, we gained a better understanding of the current initiatives in action to help limit plastic pollution and enhanced our understanding of the present landscape of plastic pollution initiatives. We look forward to integrating these new insights into AgriWrap’s ongoing product development and implementation strategies.

Summary:

• Attended PlastiCon
• Networked 
• Created plans for the upcoming week through new connections