In Singapore, Iron Man has invested in a bioplastic startup. Robert Downey Jr., who played “genius, billionaire, playboy, philanthropist” Tony Stark, a.k.a. Iron Man, in the popular Avengers series, participated in RWDC’s recent funding round. To date, RWDC has raised over $168 million to advance its medium-chain-length polyhydroxyalkanoate (mcl-PHA) biopolymers.
“We believe the movement against plastic is now firmly entrenched worldwide, with many governments acting to reduce or ban the consumption of single-use plastics and businesses committing to reduce their plastic footprint,” says Zhaotan Xiao, President, Asia Pacific at RWDC tells E27. He adds that nearly all funding is going to increasing capacity, “as there is no lack of demand for PHA.”
Xiao did not disclose how much Downey’s FootPrint Coalition fund contributed, but said the organization is “really intrigued and excited about [the] technology, and completely aligned with [RWDC’s] vision of transitioning the world towards bio-based and natural materials that are in harmony with Nature’s regenerative cycles.” He add