Danimer Scientific, a developer and manufacturer of biodegradable plastic products, today announced that it has created the first fully biodegradable plastic straw using its Nodax™ polyhydroxyalkanoate (PHA) material.

“The environmental impact of straws and other single-use plastic items has become a critical issue for cities and companies across the country,” said Scott Tuten, chief marketing officer at Danimer Scientific. “The challenge is that there are few durable, yet eco-friendly alternatives available. Thankfully, research has found that PHA effectively biodegrades in environments ranging from waste treatment facilities to landfills and oceans. With that stamp of approval, we are excited to be bringing truly biodegradable straw resins in the near future to businesses that are looking to replace petrochemical plastic straws in restaurants, amusement parks and more.”

A 2018 University of Georgia study compared the biodegradation of Danimer Scientific’s Nodax™ PHA to cellulose powder, food waste, plastic pellets and other materials in aerobic and anaerobic conditions. In a proper waste management setting, Nodax™ PHA biodegrades at a similar rate to cellulose powder, or wood pulp. The study also found that Nodax™ PHA could be effectively processed alongside food waste and other organic waste in a landfill. Additionally, researchers determined that Nodax™ PHA will begin to biodegrade over the course of six months in ocean water, while traditional plastics remain intact and unchanged in the same environment.

Danimer Scientific��s Nodax™ PHA possesses seven TUV AUSTRIA certifications and statements of industrial and home compostability, is biodegradable in anaerobic, soil, fresh water and marine environments and is 100% bio-based. All of Danimer Scientific’s biopolymers, including its Nodax™ PHA, are FDA approved for food contact.

For more information about Danimer Scientific and Nodax™ PHA, please visit: www.DanimerScientific.com.

Danimer Scientific is a pioneer in creating more sustainable, more natural ways to make plastic products. For more than a decade, our renewable and sustainable biopolymers have helped create plastic products that are biodegradable and compostable. They return to nature instead of polluting our lands and waters. Our technology can be found in a vast array of plastic end products that people use every day. Applications for our biopolymers include additives, aqueous coatings, fibers, filaments, films, hot-melt adhesives and injection-molded articles, among others. We now hold 125 patents in nearly 20 countries for a range of manufacturing processes and biopolymer formulations.

For more information, visit www.DanimerScientific.com.