The petrochemicals currently used in plastic production carry significant cost and environmental impact. A team lead by Lucia Gardossi of the University of Trieste, Italy, has produced renewable polyesters via an enzyme-catalysed polycondensation. We selected bio-based monomers that can be produced by the microbial fermentation of sugars. We used enzymes, biodegradable proteins, anchored on particles of rice husk – a residue of rice processing. The use of bioderivable monomers and solvent-less conditions, represents and  green chemistry can be applied to all aspects of a process.