Industrial waste from corn applied in the development of tubes for planting eucalyptus seedlings

Growing awareness of environmental issues is gaining prominence, leading consumers and companies to change their consumption habits and seek environmentally friendly products across sectors. The plant market is increasingly focused on sustainable solutions to mitigate the industry’s environmental impacts and promote a greener, more conscious future. This approach reveals numerous investment opportunities in the market, given the use of new sustainable materials from industrial ecology. Thus, this paper presents the development and characterisation of a biodegradable material derived from corn-based industrial waste, and its use in producing planting tubes for eucalyptus seedlings. Initially, the material was developed and physically and chemically characterised, followed by quantitative and qualitative research through questionnaires and interviews. Finally, field research was conducted with seedling producers, and design methods were used to generate alternatives. The results demonstrate that applying this material to produce planting tubes is viable and environmentally sound.