Shellac is produced from bugs, more than half worlds supply is hand produced in India
Worth over $167 million : 500 tonnes per year
Shellac is a natural bioadhesive polymer and is chemically similar to synthetic polymers. It can thus be considered a natural form of plastic.
Shellac (/ʃəˈlæk/)[1] is a resin secreted by the female lac bug on trees in the forests of India and Thailand. Chemically, it is mainly composed of aleuritic acid, jalaric acid, shellolic acid, and other natural waxes
What is it used for ?
From the time shellac replaced oil and wax finishes in the 19th century, it was one of the dominant wood finishes in the western world until it was largely replaced by nitrocellulose lacquer in the 1920s and 1930s. Besides wood finishing, shellac is used as an ingredient in food, medication and candy such as confectioner’s glaze, as well as a means of preserving harvested citrus fruit.
It’s also used in the beauty sector for nail varnish.