Dr. Challa Kumar, an emeritus professor of chemistry at the University of Connecticut, spoke at a Museum Lyceum in May 2024 on his discoveries related to discarded cloths. Professor Kumar explained how recycled textiles and proteins can be used to produce an alternative to plastic. The research is critical given the widespread pollution that is generated by certain kinds of fabrics, as well as plastics. Under some estimates, 400 million tons of plastic waste are generated worldwide. An additional 92 million tons of cloth waste is generated annually. Plastics are polluting the world and their manufacturing is releasing vast amounts of carbon dioxide. To mitigate these issues, Dr. Kumar and his colleagues are developing protein-based plastics that are green, sustainable, and completely biodegradable or compostable. The process also uses waste textiles and recycles them as useful plastic replacement products. Currently, the plastics industry is one of the major contributors to the rapid warming of the planet. Warming is due to increasing levels of carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases. His research has led UConn’s Technology Commercialization Services (TCS) to file two patents to protect the invention and its technology. The team is currently in discussions with several industrial partners to commercialize the products.