Bioplastic (Terra Futura)

Bioplastic was a plastic that was made entirely of organic materials. It was biodegradable, so it did not cause problems for the environment.

Background
Since the dawn of human history, only a small number of materials were appreciated for their distinct, colorful appearance. Ivory, tortoiseshell, and horn were capable of being turned into luxury items that bore a warmth and elegance that was hard to achieve with other materials. Then, in 1862, with advances in chemistry, the first plastic was made by treating cellulose with nitric acid. It was called Parkesine or Celluloid, and in the early 20th century, celluloid was used to draw pictures for animated films at companies like Disney, Warner Bros., Hanna-Barbera, etc. Then, in 1907, Leo Baekeland invented Bakelite, the first ever synthetic material. After World War I, with advances in chemistry, new plastics were being created like polystyrene and polyvinyl chloride. This revolutionized society a whole lot. Then, in 1935, the first synthetic fiber called nylon was developed by Wallace Carothers, a chemist at DuPont. This would lead to a new era of synthetics that eventually brought about the creation of kevlar. There was one problem, though. All of these plastics were made of petroleum. They were not biodegradable. Therefore, these plastics were a problem for the environment. The solution was bioplastic.

Description
Tech Level: 10

Scientists started making plastic out of natural materials like vegetable oil. They were engineered to be biodegradable to help the environment. The Ford Motor Company started using vegetable oil to make soft foam seats. Not only that, they also used bioplastic for hard surfaces like the dashboard. Other parts were made by harvesting wheat. By the third decade of the 21st century, bioplastics replaced conventional petroleum-based plastic in everything. Even so, plastic was now being made so that it could do anything. It could even self-heal.