Lake beds are rich environmental records — studying them reveals much about a place’s history 
Gold Steady as Softer U.S. Inflation Eases Fed Rate Hike Bets 
An unexpected anomaly was found in the Pacific Ocean – and it could be a global time marker 
Eli Lilly’s Inluriyo Gains FDA Approval for Advanced Breast Cancer Treatment 
Blue Origin’s New Glenn Achieves Breakthrough Success With First NASA Mission 
Dollar Hits Three-Month High as US Treasury Yields Surge 
SpaceX Delays Starship V3 Launch Ahead of Potential Record IPO 
Trump Administration to Launch Autism Initiatives Targeting Acetaminophen Use and New Treatment Options 
FDA Adds Fatal Risk Warning to J&J and Legend Biotech’s Carvykti Cancer Therapy 
GesiaPlatform Launches Carbon-Neutral Lifestyle App ‘Net Zero Heroes’ 
How ongoing deforestation is rooted in colonialism and its management practices 
Parasites are ecological dark matter – and they need protecting 
Australia Inflation Accelerates to 4% After RBA Rate Hike 
Trump and Merck KGaA Partner to Slash IVF Drug Costs and Expand Fertility Coverage 
SpaceX Prioritizes Moon Mission Before Mars as Starship Development Accelerates 
South Korea Exports Surge 83.5% on AI Chip Boom 
Asian Currencies Mixed as Yen Weakens, RBA Hike Looms 
Add as a preferred source on Google
UK start-up Polymateria Ltd has struck a deal with a 7-Eleven's supplier in Taiwan, South Plastic Industry Co., to use its innovative process to decompose plastic into a wax that is digested by nature.
President Chain Store Corp, which operates the 7-Eleven outlets, plans to reduce disposable plastic use to less than 20 percent of packaging by 2023.
Some 7-Eleven stores are now selling cheese-baked rice meals in Polymateria’s disposable packaging.
Polymateria has also inked a deal of up to US$100 million to license its technology to Formosa Plastics Corp, one of the world’s biggest petrochemical manufacturers.
Godrej Consumer Products Ltd in India will also start using Polymateria’s packaging later this year.
According to Polymateria CEO Niall Dunne, they are targetting the type of plastic that’s most likely to wind up in nature by using a solution that doesn’t need any composting technologies to biodegrade or capital expenditure.
Polymateria also has licensing agreements with plastics producers in Malaysia and the Philippines.
The deals are part of Polymateria's plan to solve the problem of plastic from snack wrappers, cups, and shopping bags that end up in oceans and landfills.
Dunne added that they are focused on Asia where a lot of the fugitive plastic is coming from and there aren’t substantial waste management systems in place.
Polymateria’s technology uses about a dozen kinds of chemicals, such as oils, rubbers, and desiccants, that are added to plastic during the manufacturing process.
The additives help break down plastic polymers and turn the plastic into a wax that is fully digested by natural bacteria and fungi.
The thinner packing materials infused with Polymateria's solution can decompose in as little as 226 days.
By comparison, it takes about 1,000 years for a plastic bag to degrade in landfills.
Still, some scientists are calling for reducing the use of plastics and recycling instead.
Independent scientific advisers to the European Commission released a report that concluded “biodegradable plastics aren’t a silver bullet,” while others raised concerns that biodegradable plastics could encourage littering.
Dunne said while he agrees with reducing, reusing, and recycling plastic, their solution addresses an immediate problem that is not going away.
