Biodegradable plastics are one of the key areas of interest for sustainable products. Plastics that retain their protective abilities and ease of production, as well as having the ability to safely and quickly biodegrade would be an excellent product to replace traditional plastics. Single-use plastics are one of the most common pollutant items, with at least 8 million tonnes of them ending up in the oceans and other environments every year. Replacing these with plastics that biodegrade quickly in the environment would greatly cut down on ocean pollution.

Biodegradable polymer coatings are another area of ongoing research. By coating biodegradable packaging or product materials with a polymer coating, their barrier properties and mechanical strengths can be improved to levels similar to those of plastic packaging products. By replacing plastics and other materials with polymer-coated materials, significant portions of the United State’s yearly waste can be eliminated.  Instead, it can be turned into compost or allowed to simply and quickly degrade in landfills.

One of the most important areas of sustainability research is in renewable energy sectors. The use of oil and gas as fuel for transport vehicles and the production of electricity are the two largest contributing areas of CO2 production in the United States. Transportation amounts to approximately 28% of all emissions, while electricity accounts for approximately 27% of all emissions. Over 90% of fuel for transport comes from petroleum-based fuels and 63% of electricity comes from non-renewable means. By replacing electricity production through means such as nuclear, wind, and solar production methods and replacing transport fuel with electric or hydrogen fuel cell-powered cars, a massive amount of carbon emission sources could be eliminated.