We dream of a world free from plastic waste, and you?

Meet our enzymes, Demetra, Ceres, Cora and Cibeles, that degrade polyethylene within a few hours at room temperature.

MANIFESTO
SEE HOW

Plastic accumulation is one of the major environmental challenges of the 21st century

Global plastic consumption has increased from 5.5 million tonnes in the 1950s to 110 million tonnes in 2009 (United Nations Environment Programme). By 2022, global plastic production had reached 400 million tonnes (PlasticsEurope.org), highlighting a continued
upward trend. This growth persists despite the severe environmental impacts of plastic pollution and the significant risk it poses to human health.

Plastic accumulates throughout terrestrial and aquatic environments

The oceans provide clear evidence of this growing problem: massive patches of plastic debris have formed across their waters. One of the most severe is the Great Pacific Garbage Patch, a vast area in the Pacific Ocean with a minimum estimated size comparable to that of Texas.

The accumulation of plastic debris on land and in water has harmful consequences for all forms of life on the planet, severely disrupting the food chain and ultimately threatening human well-being.

Disposal of plastic.

In 2022, global plastic production reached 400 million tonnes.

< 10%

less than 10% is recycled

The rest ends up in landfill sites, where it can take years to decompose while releasing pollutants into the soil and water. Recycling has long been presented as the great promise for managing plastic waste, yet its impact on plastic pollution remains minimal. In fact, it is fair to say that it is not truly effective. The main method currently available is mechanical recycling, which can handle only a limited range of plastics, and even then only once or twice. The process produces lower-quality material that is used to make new plastics, which ultimately still find their way into the environment.

HOW CAN WE ELIMINATE PLASTIC (WITHOUT RESORTING TO ECOLOGICALLY COSTLY INCINERATION)?

To address this question, we must first understand the nature of the compound in question.

Plastics are synthetic polymers that can be divided into two groups based on their manufacturing process: (i) thermoplastics and (ii) thermoset plastics. Thermoset plastics account for less than 10% of total plastic production, but the major environmental concern lies with the remaining 92%, represented by thermoplastics.

Among them, polyethylene (PE) is the most common, making up roughly one-third of global plastic production. It is widely used in packaging materials such as plastic bags and containers. However, PE is generally resistant to degradation by biological agents (e.g., bacteria and fungi), and its biodegradation by microorganisms, when it does occur, is extremely limited and slow.

THE SOLUTION

We have identified a biological agent capable of rapidly degrading the polyethylene (PE) of commonly used plastic bags—in less than one hour

HOW DOES THIS HAPPEN?

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