Beyond Plastic introduces biodegradable plastic bottle cap
Beyond Plastic has introduced a biodegradable plastic bottle cap made from polyhydroxyalkanoate (PHA), a biopolymer created using bacteria fermentation. The new cap is claimed to look, feel, and perform just like traditional petroleum-based plastic caps but to be recyclable, compostable, and biodegradable – even in the most sensitive conditions.
“We believe in tackling the plastic pollution problem directly. Plastic bottle caps rank as the second most prevalent of the top five plastic pollutants found on our shores. It’s a plastic that’s hardly ever recycled and ends up causing massive harm if discarded in the environment.” said Fred Pinczuk, CTO of Beyond Plastic. “Our mission at Beyond Plastic is to create positive change by replacing the overwhelming number of single-use plastics that the world produces with sustainable packaging solutions. We believe PHA is the answer – it’s a natural alternative that has all the performance capabilities of conventional plastics without the dangerous side effects to our planet.”
To make this vision a reality, Beyond Plastic has strategically partnered with two leading value chain giants to make this sustainable solution a success – CJ Biomaterials and Techlong International. Max Senechal, Chief Commercial Officer at CJ Biomaterials said: “As a global leader in the manufacture of PHA, we are committed to introducing revolutionary, eco-friendly solutions to replace traditional plastics. This collaboration with Beyond Plastic is helping to transform the plastics industry with sensible, sustainable technology, and we’re excited about the progressive impact this will have on a commercial scale.”
Greater adoption of PHA will necessitate extensive testing and experimentation. To date, integrating PHA into existing systems has not been a straightforward process. Adapting conventional equipment that is typically used for petroleum-based plastics to effectively accommodate PHA adds a layer of complexity.”Providing a PHA resin is not enough, you have to be able to provide a full turnkey solution that includes the adapted machinery to work with the material as seamlessly as it would running traditional polymers. We approach this as a packaged and complete solution. […]” said Keith Boss, CEO at Techlong International, Inc.
