This startup is turning fallen leaves into biodegradable plastic

First-generation bioplastics were made from food crops like corn and sugar. A new biomaterials startup is using something very different: the autumn leaves collected by cities each fall. The startup, Perennial Polymers, extracts the natural polymers in leaves—lignin and cellulose—to make plastic that can easily break down. It’s an approach that can ultimately be less expensive than making other bioplastics, the company says. “I spent the last 12 years or so in the biomaterial space, and go...