PHA Does Not Create Persistent Microplastics

PHAs (polyhydroxyalkanoates) are naturally occurring materials that are proven and certified as biodegradable by common microorganisms in marine and soil environments, leaving no persistent micro- or nanoplastics to accumulate in the environment.

The Problem

The Problem with Microplastics

Increasingly, mounting scientific research is detecting the widespread presence of microplastics in our environment and exposing their concerning impacts on human health. These persistent synthetic particles, defined as less than 5 millimeters in size, have been detected in every environment on Earth and are now linked to serious health conditions, including heart disease and infertility. While research continues to evolve, there is legitimate concern about microplastics’ toxicity, chemical interactions, accumulation in tissues, and long-term environmental persistence.

In the natural world, materials follow predictable cycles of degradation. Over time, organic matter biodegrades into simpler compounds and ultimately returns to the environment as basic elements like water and carbon dioxide. Conventional petroleum-based plastics disrupt this natural order by fragmenting into persistent micro- and nanoplastics that have no ecological purpose yet remain as contaminants in our soil, water, and even living organisms.

Nature's Approach

A Better Alternative: PHA

Polyhydroxyalkanoates (PHAs) offer a fundamentally different approach. These materials are not synthetic inventions but naturally occurring substances that have existed in nature for millions of years, similar to cellulose or starch. PHAs are produced by common microorganisms as part of their normal metabolism, serving as energy storage compounds.

What makes PHAs truly a sustainable solution is their complete biodegradability. The same microbes that produce PHAs recognize them as food when encountered in the environment. When bacteria come into contact with PHA-based products, they colonize the material and break it down completely for energy, converting it into water, carbon dioxide, and biomass. This process leaves no micro- or nanoparticles behind, offering a genuine solution to our growing microplastic crisis.

How It Works

From plant sugars to complete biodegradation

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Plant Sugars

Plant-based feedstocks begin the cycle.

Fermentation

Sugars from plant-like feedstocks are fermented by microorganisms into PHA.

Products Made with PHA

PHA is transformed into materials and products for real-world use.

Colonization

In natural environments including marine, soil, home compost, and industrial compost, common microorganisms recognize PHA as a source of food or energy and colonize the surface to begin biodegradation.

Continued Biodegradation

The surface of any PHA fragments created during biodegradation or due to disintegration are continually colonized and biodegraded until no PHA remains.

Mineralization

As PHA is consumed by microorganisms, it is turned into biomass or used as energy to metabolize, leading to the mineralization of the polymer into CO₂ or H₂O.

Sustainability

Reducing Microplastics At The Source

By supporting the development and use of PHA-based materials, we can address the microplastic pollution problem at its source rather than focusing solely on downstream cleanup efforts that can never fully succeed once these persistent particles enter our environment.

Littering is not a waste solution

All products require proper disposal regardless of their material composition. Littering is never acceptable, even for items proven to biodegrade in multiple environments. Products claiming biodegradability should never suggest that littering is an appropriate disposal method.

Instead, products made with PHA should be processed in composting or anaerobic digestion environments. PHA carries 3rd party certifications like OK compost HOME from TÜV Austria and Commercially Compostable from the Biodegradable Products Institute, confirming they fully compost in both home and industrial settings according to international standards.

The natural and broad biodegradability profile of PHA offers a “line of defense” against unavoidable leakage into the environment.

PHA is a safe, non-toxic material

PHAs are widely recognized as non-toxic, biocompatible substances. PHAs meet standards for both food contact and medical applications in the US and EU regulatory frameworks. PHA polymers have been used for invivo applications such a sutures or tissue scaffolding for many years. as they safely biodegrade within the human body without adverse effects. Unlike synthetic plastics, if PHA microparticles are ingested by humans or animals, they pose minimal risk as they can be metabolized by the body’s natural processes or excreted without accumulation or toxicity.

Additionally, to obtain 3rd party certifications for compostability and biodegradability, PHA and products made with PHA must be free of PFAS and undergo ecotoxicity testing to ensure no detrimental impacts to plant or soil health from the materials.

Certifications

Proven Biodegradability and Environmental Recovery

PHAs fully biodegrade in natural environments, breaking down into water, carbon dioxide, and biomass—without leaving persistent microplastics behind.

Marine

Marine Biodegradable

Temperature: 30 °C
Performance: 90% biodegradation within a maximum of 6 months

Soil

PHACT S1000P

Temperature: 25 °C
Performance: 90% biodegradation within a maximum of 2 years

Home

Home Compostable

Temperature: 28 °C
Performance: 90% biodegradation within a maximum of 12 months

Shared Certifications

Commercially Compostable

Temperature: 58 °C
Performance: 90% biodegradation within a maximum of 6 months

A Note on Biodegradability: This measurement does not mean that only 90% of the PHA or product has biodegraded. During biodegradation 100% of the carbon within a product is not mineralized. It is expected that 90% of this carbon is converted to CO₂ and, therefore, measured in testing. The remaining 10% of carbon is retained by the microorganism as part of their cellular structure.