Cassava, hemp could offer alternatives to plastics – Zanetor challenges scientists

The Minister for Environment Dr Zanetor Agyeman-Rawlings has urged Ghanaian scientists to develop plant-based alternatives to plastic packaging, including materials made from cassava and hemp, ahead of the planned styrofoam ban on January 7, 2026.

She said locally developed alternatives could help address Ghana’s plastic pollution problem and also create commercial opportunities for researchers and investors.

Speaking at the CSIR National Scientific Conference on Wednesday, October 14, the Minister asked, “What are the alternatives to plastics that we can use, plant-based? All right, whether it's cassava or hemp."

Dr Agyeman-Rawlings stressed that the planned ban on styrofoam would be only the first step towards tackling the country’s wider plastic waste problem.

She said the measure alone would not address the presence of microplastics in the food chain or concerns about exposure to chemicals that may leach from plastic containers into water, particularly when exposed to heat.

The minister urged researchers to develop packaging materials that could perform like conventional plastics but break down into harmless plant-based residue after use.

“If we come up with a substance that looks like plastic, behaves like plastic, in that it can maintain its structure, it can hold whatever is in it. But once you have consumed what is in it, it breaks down into a harmless residue of some plant product, which can then go back to nature. Then I think we're really making a difference,” she said.

She also encouraged scientists to pursue partnerships with businesses and investors to commercialise their research rather than depend solely on government funding and salaries.

According to her, developing commercially viable products would allow researchers to build sustainable ventures and determine their own pay structures.

Dr Agyeman-Rawlings further proposed exploring the production of water bottles using bio-based alternatives, suggesting that partnerships with water companies could create a market for locally developed materials.

She said the demand for bottled water presents a potential commercial opportunity for researchers who could develop suitable alternatives to conventional plastic bottles.