This Plastic Self-Destructs Within Two Years

A London-based startup has developed a new solution that makes plastics self-destruct if they escape into the environment.

By integrating Polymateria's unique technology to plastic resins at the point of manufacture, it allows plastics to be recycled and offers a biodegradable plan B to those that escape into nature.

The United Nations has estimated that 400 million tons of plastic waste are produced every year. Thirty-two percent of this plastic escapes collection systems and ends up in nature, with millions of tons entering the ocean every year.

As these plastics break down, they release toxins and microplastics that can be ingested by animals and humans.

Today, compostable plastic is sometimes used to get around this problem. However, it is usually less durable and not recyclable. "Recyclable plastics need stability and need to be intact ... biodegradable plastics disintegrate quickly," Liepa Olsauskaite, a spokesperson for Polymateria, told Newsweek.

Because of their differing properties, biodegradable plastics need to be disposed of separately, which requires new waste disposal infrastructure. In most cases, they also require significant energy inputs to completely break down.

"You need really high temperatures to actually process compostable plastics," Olsauskaite said.

Polymateria's biodegradable products avoid these inputs and can be treated like any other recyclable plastic: "Products made with Biotransformation technology are uniquely time controlled to allow for recycling, but if they escape into nature, they will biodegrade within two years, leaving no toxins or microplastics behind," Olsauskaite said.

By using this technology, Polymateria hopes to keep plastics in circulation for as long as possible without adding to global plastic pollution.

"You need sun, air, and moisture for the degradation to kick in," Olsauskaite said. Outside of these conditions—like in a cupboard or dishwasher—plastic containing the biotransformation technology will remain structurally intact. But as soon as it escapes into nature, the plastic transforms into an earth-friendly wax that is broken down by microbes in the environment.

The technology can be incorporated into both fossil fuel, and plant-based plastics, and can be used for a wide range of applications.

"From takeout containers to cutlery, to cups, to carrier bags, fashion bags—there are lots of different applications we can put the technology in, so long as it's polypropylene or polyethylene plastics," Olsauskaite said.

The technology was recently demonstrated at the Bank of America Chicago Marathon on October 9. Runners received recovery bags made from sugarcane-based polyethylene containing Polymateria's biotransformation technology, which the company have said are the world's first plant-based, recyclable and biodegradable bags.

To incorporate this technology, manufacturers do not need to buy any new equipment.

"It is very cost-effective because we are adding the bespoke masterbatch at the point of manufacture," Olsauskait said. "You don't need to change your production line [so] it can be scaled immediately."

Because the masterbatch is only a very tiny part of the final product, the overall energy consumption for the plastic's production is comparable to that of a standard plastic bag and the price of the final product is only 10 to 15 percent more expensive than conventional plastic.

"Our goal is to switch producers and brands to 100 percent renewable material," Olsauskait said. "But the stepping stone is switching [manufacturers] to conventional plastic with our technology first—not all [manufacturers] can make the leap to plant-based material right away.

"We have something we think could really revolutionize how we design plastics."

Update 10/17/22, 12:10 p.m. ET: This article was updated to include further information and clarification of the biotransformation process.