4th May 2021 – London, UK
- Polymateria’s innovative Biotransformation technology to be used by leading Indian brands including Godrej to tackle plastic pollution in India
- Announcement follows 18 months of successful testing work undertaken by the Indian Government
Following 18-months of detailed testing and validation work, Polymateria today announces that leading Indian brands including Godrej will be using its Biotransformation technology in India to make a range of plastic packaging applications biodegradable.
In 2020, Polymateria became the first company in the world to evidence full biodegradation of plastic in the open environment. Its technology will now be used to tackle the challenge of fugitive plastic in India, enhancing the environment for future generations.
Biodegradation of material containing Polymateria’s technology is verified by the British Standard Institution’s (BSI) new PAS 9017 standard for the Biodegradation of polyolefins in an open-air terrestrial environment which was launched in late 2020. The first of its kind, the standard sets a series of stringent pass/fail criteria ensuring full biodegradation with no microplastics or ecotoxicity left behind.
Today’s announcement follows 18 months of rigorous scientific testing to verify material against the standard in India, conducted by Indian Government scientists. A range of leading Indian & international brands now have products which have passed the standard, ready to be deployed as biodegradable applications in the Indian market.
UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson said:
“I’m delighted that Polymateria is working hand-in-hand with Indian partners to tackle plastic pollution in one of the world’s biggest economies. Our exporters are brilliant ambassadors for Britain and I hope today’s announcement is just the start of what you can do for India and the UK.”
Niall Dunne, Polymateria CEO, said:
“With 32% of all plastic ending up in the natural environment each year, fugitive plastic is truly a global problem. We are delighted to see India taking serious steps towards addressing its plastic pollution challenge. I am immensely proud of all the scientists, businesses and Government officials in India & the UK who have collaborated so fantastically to reach this exciting milestone.”
5 plastic prototypes from 4 packaging convertors, working with 5 leading brands, have been tested against the British standard BSI PAS 9017 in parallel by the Indian Government’s Central Institute of Plastics Engineering & Technology (CIPET) in Bhubaneshwar and at Impact Solutions laboratories in Grangemouth, UK.
Of these, 4 plastic prototypes have passed the standard’s stringent criteria indicating that products made from these plastic protoypes are truly biodegradable in the open environment, leaving behind no microplastics or harmful substances.
The range of packaging applications these plastic protoypes can be used for include noodle pots, ice cream cups, wrapping film, pouches and heat-sealing wraps.
The testing programme at CIPET was initiated by an MOU signed between the Government of India through CIPET, Polyamteria & Avient (then Clariant) in January 2020.
ENDS
About Polymateria
Polymateria’s mission is to advance science to help nature deal with the plastic pollution crisis. Born from, and now based at, Imperial College London, we’re the first company in the world to prove scientifically that you can take the most likely sources of fugitive plastic and return them to nature without creating microplastics, harming the natural environment or interfering with recycling streams at scale.
The British Standards Institutions’ new BSI PAS 9017 standard ensures claims of biodegradability in the open environment can be properly verified for the first time according to independent pass/fail criteria. The Standard and Polymateria’s technology were recently featured in National Geographic magazine: https://www.nationalgeographic.co.uk/environment-and-conservation/2020/11/new-self-destructing-plastic-has-helped-define-a-new-british
In February 2021, Polymateria demonstrated a world first in creating a polyethylene film that is both recyclable and biodegradable in the open environment. The announcement was made by Imperial College London and covered by the UK Daily Telegraph.
The company recently announced a partnership with Extreme E, the new electric racing series with a sustainable conscience. Extreme E and its race teams will use Polymateria’s Biotransformation technology at its global X Prix events: https://www.extreme-e.com/en/news/214_Extreme-E-joins-forces-with-Polymateria-to-tackle-global-plastic-pollution.html
Polymateria also has a partnership with international chemical giant Clariant (now Avient) to bring the technology to South-East Asia: https://www.clariant.com/en/Corporate/News/2019/10/Clariant-and-Polymateria-launch-partnership-to-bring-new-Biotransformation-technology-to-market-in-S
Pour Les Femmes, the ethical brand founded by actor/activitist Robin Wright and designer Karen Fowler, is the first apparel brand to introduce Polyamteria’s technology into its packaging: https://pourlesfemmes.com/blogs/blog
The company is proud to be a founding signatory of HRH The Prince of Wales’ Terra Carta (Earth Charter) established under the Sustainable Markets Initiative.
Contact:
Julie Loschmann,
+44 (0)7887 890 937
jl@polymateria.com
www.polymateria.com