Danimer Scientific and UrthPact to Fight Plastic Pollution with new Compostable Straw

BAINBRIDGE, Ga., Oct. 29, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- Danimer Scientific, a leading developer and manufacturer of biodegradable plastic materials, and UrthPact, a contract manufacturer of single-use compostable products for leading brands, today announced a partnership to manufacture drinking straws that are fully biodegradable in environments ranging from waste treatment facilities to home compost piles, waterways and our oceans. The products produced through this partnership will help reduce the environmental impact of the estimated 8 million tons of plastic waste that leak into oceans every year.

Single-use straws certified for industrial composting are available now for purchase from UrthPact, with straws certified for home composting and marine degradation to begin shipping in the first quarter of 2020. UrthPact is currently evaluating interested distributors and brand owners to partner with for the sale of these biodegradable straws. The straws are manufactured using Danimer Scientific's signature biopolymer, Nodax™ polyhydroxyalkanoate (PHA). The plant-based material was verified as an effective biodegradable alternative to traditional petrochemical plastics in a 2018 study led by University of Georgia (UGA) researchers and members of the UGA New Materials Institute.

"Reducing the environmental impacts of single-use plastics is a critical issue that will get worse the longer it goes unaddressed, so it has been encouraging to see industry leaders swiftly collaborate on solutions," said Stephen Croskrey, CEO of Danimer Scientific. "Since developing a prototype for the first fully biodegradable plastic straw last year, our team has worked diligently with UrthPact to make it commercially available. We look forward to continuing our longstanding partnership with UrthPact in bringing more eco-friendly plastic packaging to manufacturers in the years to come."

UrthPact, a United States manufacturer, produces straws in its Safe Quality Foods (SQF) certified plants alongside a wide range of compostable single-use plastic products, including coffee pods, valves, cutlery, bottles, caps and more.

"Cities and businesses are exploring outright bans of single-use plastic straws. This may not be a viable option for every business segment within the global market," said Paul Boudreau, CEO of UrthPact. "One ideal solution is a single-use straw that offers the durability and reliability of traditional plastic without the environmental impact that it can leave upon disposal. With the support of Danimer Scientific, we're making that ideal a reality."

Danimer Scientific's Nodax™ PHA possesses seven TUV AUSTRIA certifications and statements of industrial and home compostability, is biodegradable in anaerobic soil, freshwater 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, please visit: www.DanimerScientific.com. For more information on UrthPact, please visit: www.UrthPact.com.

About Danimer Scientific
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.

About UrthPact
UrthPact is an Engineering driven contract manufacturer with nearly a decade long history of designing, certifying and manufacturing single-use plastic products. Through manufacturing plants on the east and west coasts of the United States, UrthPact's goal is to keep 25 billion single-use plastic parts from polluting our landfills and oceans by 2028.

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SOURCE Danimer Scientific