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Kaltrina Bylykbashi
Aquapak is classified as a transitional material.
Aquapak has a line of water-soluble, biodegradable, and non-toxic polymers named Hydropol that are said to disappear at end-of-life without damaging the environment. The polymers have myriad applications including plastic bags, barrier products, papers, and fibres. The company claims these polymers have all the benefits of plastic while being completely biodegradable in marine environments; non-toxic for humans, animals, and plant life; and compatible with standardised manufacturing processes such as injection moulding. Aquapak's partners include Finisterre and DS Smith. The company has received a financial grant from Innovate UK for the development of dissolvable bags, and further capital from private equity firm ADM Capital Europe – although the amounts given to the company are undisclosed.
Hydropol polymers are made of PVOH, a synthetic substance usually manufactured from ethylene and acetic acid derived from fossil fuels. PVOH dissolves rather than biodegrades, which means some synthetic monomers are left behind when the material breaks down. We believe that further end-of-life studies are required of this material to determine whether it's truly benign when it breaks down into ecosystems. Studies show PVOH is one of the many plastics found in marine micro-litter, and unidentified polyvinyls closely resembling PVA and polyvinyl chloride have been found in the stomachs of fish 10 kilometres below the ocean surface.
Many companies are looking for ways to create films, bags, and barrier products without using any plastic or fossil fuels at all. It's a challenging space, so any scalable progress — such as Aquapak's polymers — is noteworthy. However, designers should keep their eyes on emerging Seaweed solutions such as Notpla, the winner of the Earthshot Prize 2022; and Sway, the winner of the Tom Ford Plastic Innovation Prize 2023, whose material is officially launching in April 2023. Both companies have promising and scaling solutions to plastic films and bags using unmodified seaweed, producing materials that go back to nature at the end of their lives as food, not poison.
