This month the site began cranking out the first batches of the polymer, called polylactic acid, or PLA, ready to be used in everything from clothing to carpets to the crinkly, thin films used to wrap candy and compact discs.

FORBES: Shucking Petroleum

It acts as an additional buffer to prevent the acidic polymer on the outside and stomach acid from reacting with the drug on the inside.

FORBES: Hard to Swallow