Plastics, ironically, are the perfect material, and essential to modern life. They can hold solids and liquids; they are malleable, odorless and colorless. As a natural byproduct of the fossil fuel industry, plastics will continue to exist. The world will continue to use plastics, but they shouldn't remain in the environment forever.
After extensively evaluating the plastics sector, we wanted to identify a technology that makes plastics more sustainable. Polymateria's revolutionary additive biodegrades plastics in ambient temperature, with no external catalyst, and no microplastics left behind. They are focused on single-use plastics, the toughest plastics to recycle.
Polymateria is a manufacturer of a patented chemical that helps safely degrade polyolefins — polyethylene (PE) and polypropylene (PP) — within a time-bound period, at ambient temperatures, with no additional energy use and no microplastic remnants. This additive is added at the beginning of the plastic manufacturing process, requiring no change to manufacturing processes or infrastructure for its customers.
The company targets fugitive plastic that ends up in the open environment through mismanaged waste and human behaviour. It has adopted a capital-light model with masterbatch production outsourced to third parties, and is recognised as a WEF Technology Pioneer, alongside awards from the Royal Society of Chemistry, The Spectator and FICCI.
- Time-bound biodegradation
- Works at ambient temperatures
- No microplastic residue
- No process changes for manufacturers
- No additional energy use
- Capital-light model
- Sector
- Plastics
- Headquarters
- London, United Kingdom
- Year invested
- 2023
- Stage
- Series B
