By Kendria Rice-Locket, Procurement Consultant
Sharina Perry, a serial entrepreneur with a long history of starting and growing new ventures, is driven by personal accounts of minority farmers and business owners who have been impacted by land misuse and economic hardship. Sharina’s goal is to help multi-generational minority and disadvantaged families and their communities. To that end, she perfected a patent-pending plastic alternative formulated into compounded plant-based resins using crops farmers plant in regular crop rotations. Utopia Plastix ™ helps solve the problem of plastic waste, carbon emissions and promotes agriculture. Utopia's compounded plant resin allows manufacturers to use their current equipment as they produce the sustainable, alternative plastic products that the world is demanding. Ever the serial entrepreneur, Sharina founded Utopia Genetics to distribute products made with Utopia Plastix™, as well as Utopia Solutions that makes Utopia Plastix ™.
Utopia Plastix™ offers a plant-based alternative to traditional fossil fuel polymers. The crops used to make Utopia Plastix are USDA approved, absorb carbon at 4-5 times the rate of trees, and actually replenish the earth with valuable nutrients. This breakthrough alternative is what the global market is looking for to leverage the practical benefits of plastic in responsible ways.
A key benefit is that it can be used in existing manufacturing processes without the need for the manufacturer to modify or retool their equipment. Additionally, it is recyclable, compostable, and degradable. The genesis of Utopia Plastix™ was a holistic approach to addressing a broad spectrum of concerns, such as plastic waste, carbon emissions, undue pressure on our natural resources.
Utopia Plastix™, a minority and woman-owned small business, became a KYPTAC client in March 2021. Utopia Plastix™ participated in the recent DOD SBIR Accelerator Program, a collaboration between Kentucky Science and Technology Corporation, OK Catalyst, and KYPTAC. The DOD SBIR Accelerator helped Utopia Plastix™ take advantage of the SBIR/STTR Federal programs and funding opportunities.
For more information, visit https://utopiaplastix.com.
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