Vibrant green, purple, and gold strings of beads are a staple of New Orlean’s Carnival, the weekslong festive season which culminates on Tuesday, Feb. 17, with Mardi Gras. But the plastic jewelry that is thrown off parade floats takes an environmental toll. Around 25 million pounds of used Mardi Gras beads are thrown away every year. Several years ago, in 2018, 46 tons of them clogged New Orleans’ storm drains after heavy flooding. [time-brightcove not-tgx=”true”] This year, a team of researchers at Louisiana State University came up with a more sustainable alternative to the festive staple: 3D printed, biodegradable beads. And over 3,000 of them were thrown this Carnival. Naohiro Kato, a researcher and professor in the university’s department of biological sciences first began researching sustainable alternatives to parade throws about 10 years ago, but he found that finding a replacement was harder than it initially seemed. “It’s very challenging to replace these inexpensive plastic materials with more sustainable materials,” he says. Originally, he and his team began making beads from a bioplastic derived from micro algae. In 2022, they provided 100 beads to two social clubs that organize parades and events, known as Carnival krewes. However, they realized quickly that it would be too costly to scale up enough to provide beads to the more than 60 groups that participate in Carnival each year—each necklace would cost $10 to $15 to produce, a significant expense given that Krewes are unable to accept sponsorships, and rely on membership support and…
Want more insights? Join Grow With Caliber - our career elevating newsletter and get our take on the future of work delivered weekly.
