1. What specific challenges might arise when navigating legal and regulatory frameworks for your project, and how might you proactively address these challenges while staying compliant with the laws?

One legal issue that we might face is getting our product approved because it comes in contact with food. We need to work with the FDA Philippines to make sure that our packaging and the process for making it is safe. Another legal area we will need to navigate is hiring employees. We will need to make sure that all working conditions and wages pass Philippine regulations.

 

2. How might you strike a balance between complying with local laws and regulations and upholding high ethical standards, especially when faced with situations where the two may come into conflict? Give specific examples.

In our case it seems like the legal and ethical standards work together. Laws and regulations will make sure that our product is safe to come into contact with food. Additionally, there are rules in place to make sure that we will treat our employees properly. An example of how governmental laws may conflict with our project is that not all regular plastics are banned. The government may even give subsidies to plastic producing companies. We will get around this by looking for funding from other sources to carry out our project.

 

3. As you reflect on the Ethical Decision-Making discussions and insights gained, what specific actions or adjustments will you make in your stakeholder engagement and decision-making processes to align more closely with ethical principles and legal requirements?

The main thing we will do is to validate that our project is actually wanted. We will communicate with our stakeholders and partners to understand what they want out of the partnership, and if they even are interested in our project. We will align our decisions to best fit what those we are working with want. Additionally, we will not move forward in the process of implementing any part of our project without the consent of those who it affects. 

4. Write 3 elevator speeches about your project:

• For a professor/advisor: Agriwrap aims to limit plastic pollution by incorporating a circular economy. This involves buying agricultural waste from farmers in the Philippines and using this to manufacture a biodegradable plastic pellet. That bio pellet is then sold to a company that produces goods such as utensils and to-go containers which are distributed to restaurants. Customers can throw away their packaging after they eat at this restaurant, which will eventually decompose back into the soil and restart the cycle by fostering agricultural growth.  
• For an interviewer for a summer internship: This past semester I was a part of a team working to develop a biodegradable plastic pellet out of agricultural waste. This involved a lot of time spent in the lab working on developing a prototype, and reaching out to potential partners. Additionally, we worked on publishing a research paper on creating bioplastics in low resource contexts. 
• For a roommate asking about your project: Our project involves making food packaging, such as to-go containers, out of corn husks, so that it is biodegradable. This is important because plastic pollution is a major issue right now world wide.