Chapter 370 - 367: To Release or Not to Release?

Zhao Jingsi looked around at the others, then said hesitantly,

"Actually, there's another way to solve the microplastics problem—one that gets to the root of it."

"Get to the root of it?" Liu Zhifan paused. "What's the plan?"

Zhao Jingsi glanced hesitantly at Li Qingye.

Li Qingye, of course, knew what he was referring to. He waved his hand dismissively and spoke up. "The method Jingsi is talking about is, in fact, a plastic-eating fungus. The company has already made significant progress in this area."

No one was particularly overjoyed to hear this news.

Everyone in the room was intelligent; they never looked at the benefits of an issue without also considering the drawbacks.

Li Qingye continued, "I'm sure you all see the problem with a plastic-eating fungus. To ensure it can completely break down all the plastic particles in the natural world, we would have to remove the genetic limitations on this man-made fungus, giving it the ability to self-replicate."

"Furthermore, once it's released into the wild, it means we can never get rid of it. I can't guarantee that it won't mutate into a strain harmful to humans or other life forms during its natural reproductive cycle."

Li Qingye paused. "On top of that, once the plastic-eating fungus is released, the vast majority of plastic products in modern society will have a lifespan of no more than three months."

Qiu Yingle broke out in a cold sweat. 'The power of biologists is truly terrifying,' she thought, having witnessed it once again.

The group erupted into another heated discussion.

Plastic is an incredibly versatile material for modern society.

From plastic bags, containers, and films to clothing and toys; from interior decorating and electrical wiring to cars, ships, and airplanes—even satellites and space stations—plastic is ubiquitous.

Choosing to release the plastic-eating fungus would mean that all products utilizing plastic would face a massive shock.

If Homo Sapiens Company chose to release it, that shock would be virtually unavoidable.

The choice before them was simple: to release it, or not.

Liu Zhifan considered this. "We need to think about alternatives to plastic, or ways to protect it."

Jiang Mingxuan, head of the Science Department, asked, "Zhi Fan, doesn't your Industry Department have a catalog of plastic applications?"

"We do. I'll share it with everyone now."

A moment later, Liu Zhifan shared the catalog of plastic applications with the group.

Everyone began poring over the document, their attention fully captured. This decision concerned not only the entire world but also the hundreds of industries, large and small, that Homo Sapiens Company would need to adjust internally.

Although Qiu Yingle was now managing the Entertainment Division, she had previously run the Siam Branch for a long time. Consequently, she was concerned about another specific branch of the plastics industry.

"Mr. Chairman, does the plastic-eating fungus affect natural rubber as well?"

Li Qingye nodded. "It has the same decomposing effect, just at a slower rate. Natural rubber will be completely broken down in about 14 to 16 months."

Of course, this 14- to 16-month timeframe assumes complete exposure to air or water in an environment with suitable temperature and humidity.

In dry, hot tropical deserts, the frigid polar regions, or high-altitude plateaus with thin air and intense ultraviolet radiation, the fungus's decomposition rate would slow by a factor of several, or even several dozen, times.

Burying it deep in the soil could also slow the rate of decomposition.

Hearing this, Qiu Yingle instantly understood that Southeast Asia's natural rubber industry would not be spared from the plastic-eating fungus's assault.

However, Li Qingye did have some good news for them.

"Although the plastic-eating fungus will indiscriminately break down plastic products, we have made some preparations. For instance, we've inserted dozens of targeted genes into its genome. By using specific chemical agents and compounds, we can inhibit its decomposition rate via these genes."

Qiu Yingle mused, "Is that right? So, in other words, the lifespan of plastic products will decrease, but they'll still be usable."

But Jiang Mingxuan shook his head. "The fungal inhibitors work, but they pose health risks. They can't be added to any plastics that come into contact with the human body."

Qiu Yingle smiled. "That's fine. Things like rubber tires and the insulation on electrical wires can use the inhibitors."

The others chimed in with their own ideas.

The most affected applications would be those that come into contact with food, like plastic bags, containers, Styrofoam boxes, plastic wrap, and packaging, as well as synthetic clothing.

"Are there any non-toxic inhibitors?"

Jiang Mingxuan replied, "Yes, but non-toxic inhibitors degrade very quickly. They're typically only effective for one or two weeks."

After much discussion, they realized their only real option was to find alternatives.

For example, completely replacing synthetic fibers with natural ones, including cotton, jute, Manila hemp, bamboo fiber, and wood fiber.

They could also use materials like aluminum alloys, stainless steel, wood, and glass to replace some applications of plastic.

Certain items, like disposable straws, could still be made of plastic, but they would need to be kept in special sealed containers and used within a few days of being opened.

After some discussion, the group concluded that replacing plastic wasn't impossible.

The production cost of these alternative materials wasn't a concern.

For instance, Homo Sapiens Company had its proprietary low-temperature glass and alloy technologies, and its Lightless Farms could mass-produce vast quantities of organic materials.

By switching entirely to cotton, linen, jute, Manila hemp, wool, duck down, and leather for clothing production, Homo Sapiens Company could still keep its production costs extremely low.

Take Suez Long-staple Cotton for example. The area under cotton cultivation in the Suez Region is currently between 100,000 and 150,000 hectares, with an average yield of about one ton per hectare. Its export price is between 5,000 and 6,000 US Dollars per ton.

Meanwhile, American Pima cotton has an export price of 2,000 to 3,000 US Dollars per ton.

However, in Homo Sapiens Company's Lightless Farms, they could achieve a yield of 5 tons per *mu*, with six harvests a year, for a total annual output of 30 tons of cotton per *mu*. Furthermore, they could choose any variety they wished.

Moreover, their production cost for cotton was only 57 Jin Yuan per ton, equivalent to 114 US Dollars per ton.

This meant that completely replacing synthetic fibers with cotton would actually be cheaper.

After all, with global oil and natural gas prices soaring, the current price of synthetic fibers had skyrocketed to 3,800 Jin Yuan (equivalent to 7,600 US Dollars) per ton.

This was more expensive than even Suez Long-staple Cotton.

Although Homo Sapiens Company had its own petrochemical industry and a significant number of oil and gas fields, that didn't mean the price of imported oil and natural gas was low.

After weighing the pros and cons, Li Qingye made his decision.

They would release the plastic-eating fungus. However, he would personally intervene to regulate its decomposition time, extending it to at least 18 months or more.

This would solve the microplastics problem that was spreading across the globe.

He gave his orders. "Zhi Fan, Mingxuan, you two will be in charge of this. Prepare for the necessary industrial upgrades and transformations. Of course, don't announce anything publicly for now. Just get the internal contingency plans ready."

Liu Zhifan and Jiang Mingxuan nodded.

Although the decision to release the plastic-eating fungus had been made, the "how" required careful strategy and timing.

Homo Sapiens Company could absorb the losses from abandoning plastic, but other regions might not be able to withstand the blow.

This was especially true for developed regions, which had a vast number of industries reliant on plastics. Faced with the indiscriminate assault of the plastic-eating fungus, those industries would quickly be paralyzed if caught unprepared.

Therefore, even if it was just for appearances, Homo Sapiens Company had to prepare itself to maintain plausible deniability, leaving Europe and America and other regions with no grounds for complaint.