Soy sexy: Soy-based condoms reduce waste and are allergy friendly

Two University of Guelph students have developed soy-based condoms that are better for the environment andcan be used by people with latex allergies.

Animal biosciences students Chloe Quilliam and Ashley-Ann Rutherford developed a rubber compound using soy to develop Soydoms. They worked on the project in Quilliam's kitchen because they didn't have access to a lab.

"There's nothing really on the market that is both vegetarian-based, eco-friendly and allergy friendly," Rutherford said.

The two recently won the undergraduate category of Project Soy, an annual competition at the university where students are encouraged to find new uses for soy.

"We basically made a rubber compound, and we put it on a glass former like any other typical condom would be made, and then we heated it and let it cool down and it just really worked out well," Quilliam said.

Hear the whole interview on CBC K-W's The Morning Edition:

Safe and eco-friendly

Rutherford and Quilliam came up with the ideas for the condoms during last year's competition, then spent a year working on perfecting the process.

During their research, they found a report documenting how volunteers taking part in the International Coastal Cleanup program in September 2009 found 26,617 condoms.

"We thought we should come up with a product that would be safe for consumer use as well as eco-friendly," Quilliam added.

While their condoms beat out edible soy-based utensils and soy golf balls in the undergraduate category, they both say there's more work to do.

Currently, the condoms have a shelf-life of just three weeks much less than latex versions. That's because they're fully organic, which means they break down completely, and there's no chemical processing involved.

They are hoping to use the $2,500 they won in Project Soy to refine the condoms over the summer.

"We still have a long way to go until we have a full product ready for market," Quilliam said, although they admitted they have already received some interest from larger companies.

They also hope the compound they've developed could be used for much more than condoms, including latex gloves, tires, balloons and anything made of rubber.