Greener gum: a natural solution to plastic pollution
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A new chewing gum is plastic-free, biodegradable, and comes in a variety of natural flavours
Spotted: The overwhelming size of the climate change mitigation challenge can often push people into empathy fatigue. One of the most effective ways to beat that is to start small and incorporate simple changes that feel manageable, such as the World Wildlife Foundation’s (WWF) annual Earth Hour.
In India, using the phrase ‘Tiny changes matter’ as a guiding principle, Gud Gum has created an all-natural, plastic-free, vegan chewing gum. Realising that the issue may seem trivial in the context of the global climate crisis, the company’s founders point out how much plastic pollution is generated from used chewing gum – more than 100,000 tonnes of plastic every year.
Most gums are made from synthetic polymers that come from petroleum, materials much like those used to make tyres. Gud Gum, on the other hand, uses tree sap harvested by farmers in Central and South America, which has been used as a kind of natural chewing gum by various communities for centuries. Because it is natural, Gud Gum will biodegrade in the soil in just three months.
Gud Gum uses xylitol in its gum to help prevent cavities in children and offers nine different natural flavours, with no artificial sweeteners or colouring. The ‘Spice’ collection includes fennel, cinnamon, ginger, clove, and cardamom. The ‘Fruit’ collection flavours, meanwhile, are charcoal spearmint, strawberry, lemon, and raspberry. All the gum is plastic and sugar free and comes in plastic-free, biodegradable packaging. The gum is available to buy online, and the company offers multi-packs and custom packaging for brands.
Positive psychology is being used to help combat climate empathy fatigue in a number of ways, with innovations in Springwise’s library including an app for individuals to track their emissions footprints and an API that integrates with banking services for real-time carbon tracking and offsetting available for every transaction.
Written By: Keely Khoury