Trip to Indonesia sparks sustainable bag business

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In Utah, Stardust Sustainables has launched a line of compostable, reusable shopping bags made from the plant corchorus.

The company was founded by Peter Murray after a vacation to Indonesia’s plastic waste-covered beaches left him concerned about the environment. Murray soon after left a job in Washington DC to launch Stardust Sustainables.

“It’s neat to think about creating something that might have a very, very significant impact on the planet,” Murray tells Park Record. Murray also notes that corchorus is a sustainable crop. “(Corchorus) grows without fertilizers, without pesticides and without irrigation,” he said. “It is harvested by hand. It absorbs (carbon dioxide) and gives off oxygen at a much higher rate than trees. All that makes it really the most sustainable crop on Earth.”