Additive turns Plastic Harmless, and is potentially a Game-Changer of Biodegrading

Known as the only plastic that ‘truly’ biodegrades, a new plastic material has emerged, that breaks down into harmless elements in less than a year. A special ingredient is added in the manufacturing stage of the plastic, in order to create completely normal forms of plastic. This material can be used to make both rigid or flexible products, which is potentially great for production lines or schedules, because it acts as regular plastic.

Large companies are excited to begin adding Polymateria’s special biodegrading plastic to their production, based on tests that confirm the claims that after around 226 days, a wax-like byproduct, eaten by microbes, is the only thing that remains of something like an ice-cream wrapper, if left on the side of the road. Polymateria Ltd was developed at ICL (Imperial College London). The firm aims to take the plastic problem head on, with plans to launch their products ASAP in Asia, targeting the two most common types of pollutant polymers, polyurethane and polypropylene.

Image source: www.polymateria.com

Though designed to be recycled the usual way, being left in nature, which normally can leave plastic loitering on the roadside or by dumping sites for years won’t affect Polymateria plastic. It will eventually turn to a wax-like sludge, harmless to plants, animals, and river systems of our planet. The major advantage of this plastic is that it turns into normal organic elements like carbon dioxide and oxygen- This means that it doesn’t just break down into microplastic granules which often cause worse and harder to detect pollution effects in an ecosystem.

The Puma brand will be the first to incorporate this plastic, adding it to a whopping 160 million plastic bags according to The Sunday Times. Other brands are yet to be revealed but, allegedly, Polymateria is on shelves in the UK, Portugal, Spain, Taiwan, and Kenya. All Polymateria products will come with a “recycle by” date, after which they would gradually return to nature.

Niall Dunne, CEO, told National Geographic that they “are testing in India, and due to launch soon, and we are talking to manufacturers in China and the USA.”

Frederic de Mevius, dynasty part-owner of the Anheuser-Busch InBev global brewing conglomerate, a director and investor in Polymateria, told Sunday Times that “Within two to five years we will be supplying 20 to 50 of the largest brands that are responsible for plastic pollution.”

The British Standards Institution has confirmed many of the company’s claims through working with Polymateria to develop a rigorous testing standard using a “weatherometer” to measure the recycle time limit. In this day and age, a truly biodegradable plastic that won’t trouble the environment even if it isn’t recycled would, at any point, truly is a timely intervention.