Water-soluble Bags That You Can Drink! Chilean Invention Soon To Be Available In India

Written by Chaitra Krishnan, MA (Journalism & Mass Communication)  • 

If there’s one human invention that we can definitely blame for the condition of our planet today, it’s plastic. Of course, it made our life easier because it is cheap and easily available. But, what happens to this plastic once we’re done using it? Well, you know the answer. It’s littered all over the streets, dumped in landfills, and thrown into the ocean. Also, some people burn plastic waste, releasing poisonous fumes into our atmosphere. All this, because plastic is non-biodegradable and we have no other place to dispose it. It’s like a vampire that’s immortal and sucks the life out of our planet. This information isn’t something new to most of us. We all know that plastic is pure evil. However, we still use it because who has the time to change the world? “I work on weekdays and I have plans this weekend,” right?

But, what if we told you that we can save our planet by making a few simple changes in our lifestyle? We’re talking about cutting down on the plastic waste that each of us generates every day.

Water-soluble Bags That You Can Drink! Chilean Invention Soon To Be Available In India
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Image: Instagram @herglobalimpact

Chilean researchers,  Roberto Astete and Cristian Olivares, have made this possible.

In 2014, Astete and Olivares introduced water-soluble bags that break down within minutes! These completely biodegradable bags can easily replace plastic bags and play a major role in lowering the generation of plastic waste. Read on to know more about this super amazing invention.

Almost Plastic But Not Plastic

Image: Instagram @solubagchile

The composition of the bags is quite similar to that of plastic. The oil in the formulation of plastic is replaced with limestone (1). Astete and Olivares discovered this formula while conducting experiments with biodegradable detergent. The composition has water-soluble polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) as its base chemical and the oil derivatives are replaced to ensure that the compound is bio-degradable.

Water-soluble Bags That You Can Drink! Chilean Invention Soon To Be Available In India
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Image: Instagram @solubagchile

The bags were introduced to the world by the creators in July 2018. At a demonstration before the press in Santiago, they dipped the bags in water and proved that it could be dissolved within just a few minutes. The team produced two different types of soluble bags— one that dissolves in regular water and a reusable one that dissolves in hot water. So, you can pretty much recycle your grocery bags at home within just a few minutes in your saucepan or a mug of water. This water can be used on plants or to wash clothes and dishes, just like normal water.


“What remains in the water is carbon,” said Astete and further added, “it has no effect on the human body.” To prove his point Astete took a glass filled with the bag dissolved water and drank it. The innovation won the SingularityU Chile Summit 2018 prize for being the torchbearer to a new era. After getting through with the international patents, tests and certifications, the duo is all set to introduce their invention outside Chile, as well. Countries like Peru, Mexico, Argentina and the European Union will be among the first to witness the soluble bags’ magic. Following this, the next point of traction is the Indian market.

Water-soluble Bags In India

Image: Shutterstock

Well, in India, we certainly need an alternative for plastic pretty soon, don’t we? Plastic heaps in the streets of your city is not an uncommon sight. Cows, stray dogs, and birds feed on the food scraps on plastic and end up ingesting a huge amount of the toxic material. It pollutes our environment so bad that the only way we can escape this dread is by boycotting it.

Deepu Gobind Alamchandani, an Indian associate of the research team, aims to distribute the invention within India. In an exclusive interview with SyleCraze, Deepu said that by the end of this year the bag will be introduced in most of the major cities of India. And, by the end of the year 2020, it is expected to reach even the rural areas with the help of the Indian government. Deepu said that such an innovation will appeal to the public since they’re aware of the damage caused by plastic. He said that it is going to be a cost-effective innovation, which will help us change the world.

When asked about the biggest challenge that the groundbreaking innovation might face in the Indian market, Deepu said, “There are no challenges as such; the only issue is that people are too used to the pricing of cheap plastic.” He also added, “The biggest advantage of the bags is that they’re environment-friendly, animal-friendly, and human-friendly. With the current situation of plastic pollution around the world, it’s a blessing to Mother Earth.” Deepu is also a chef and a restaurant consultant having his own chain of restaurants in India and Chile.

We know there are bio-degradable bags and paper bags, but the former takes a lot more time to get decomposed than water-soluble bags and the latter is a stakeholder in deforestation. So clearly, water-soluble bags are the winners here! We hope that this innovation is a major turning point in the fight to save our planet. What do you think about water-soluble bags? Would you use them? Share your thoughts with us in the comments section below.

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