We Are
We Are
We Are
We Are
We Are
We Are
We Are
Digesting
Decomposing
Recycling
Reformulating
Reviving
Rebuilding
Breaking
Plastic
Degradation
Breaking down
every type
of plastic
Empowering
biology to
eliminate
plastic
waste
Breaking Down the Data
Research
Plastic waste
& Microplastics
Overall 2/3rds of all plastics ever produced have been released into the environment and remain there in some form.
Human
Consumption
Humans consume on avg
5+
grams of plastic
per week
Plastic
Production
yearly IMpact
275M
metric tons of plastic waste
is produced annually
Ocean
Health
Total Impact
170T
pieces of plastic have
filled our oceans
For more unfortunate Statistics
Solutions Page
Time to Decompose Plastics
Estimated Minimum
Estimated Maximum
Milk Carton
5 YRS
Rubber Boot Sole
40 to 80 YRS
Aluminum Can
80 to 200 YRS
Beverage Holder
200 to 450 YRS
Disposable Diaper
250 to 500 YRS
Fishing Line
600 to 650 YRS
Plastic Bag
10 to 1000 YRS
Plastic Bottle
450 to 1000 YRS
Styrofoam
500 YRS
We are
rejuvenating
nature
Plastic is a macro problem.
Breaking is the micro solution.
Our Breakthrough Discovery
We're breaking the mold when it comes to plastics on this planet.
We’ve discovered microorganisms that naturally feed off the chemicals and compounds in plastic waste by digesting and breaking them down into harmless organic matter. And now we're enhancing these microorganisms and enzymes associated with the degradation. Distributing these enhanced microorganisms and enzymes to address the decades-long accumulation of waste in our landfills and oceans.
Introducing
The Hero of our Story
Our Ground-Breaking Discovery
Microbe variants
Iterations 1 - 32
We at Harvard/ Wyss Institute, Colossal, and Breaking have identified that MICROBE X-32™ has the potential to transform the landscape of plastic pollution by accelerating the breakdown process of various types of plastics that are traditionally challenging to degrade.
Plastics, comprised of a myriad of polymers have long posed a significant environmental challenge due to their persistence in the environment.
Putting an end to
the Plasticene Era
WE'RE
We’re revolutionizing.
NEVER
We’re creating a healthier industry of plastic manufacturing.
We’re doing more than just Breaking. We’re using our data, research, developments and discoveries to build a new era of plastics with purpose.
It’s a simple idea. Creating SUSTAINABLE ALTERNATIVES. What if all new plastics were engineered to be easily consumed by MICROBE X-32™?
LOOKING
BACK
We’re revolutionizing.
We’re creating a healthier industry of plastic manufacturing.
WE'RE
NEVER
LOOKING
BACK
We’re doing more than just Breaking. We’re going to use our data, research, developments and discoveries to build a new era of plastics with purpose.
Rebuilding
Reviving
Future Earth-Saving Technologies Include
NEW BIOPLASTICS
ENHANCING BIOPLASTIC BIODEGRADABILITY
ELIMINATING PLASTICS IN FOOD WASTE
DEPOLYMERIZATION FOR CHEMICAL RECYCLING
PRODUCTION OF BIOFUELS & OTHER VALUABLE BIOMATERIALS
Founding Team
Founders
We are humans focused on engineering non-model organisms for unconventional applications.
Sukanya
Punthambaker, PH.D.
Vaskar
Gnyawali, Ph.D.
George
Church, Ph.D.
Donald
Ingber, M.D., Ph.D.
Alba
Tull
Kent
Wakeford
Ben
Lamm
FOCUSING
"We are excited to see how Colossal Biosciences has enabled our novel discovery to break away from its competitors in the plastic remediation space by developing a bioinspired technology that can degrade many types of plastics that are threatening our environment. This can be accomplished without pretreatment and the breakdown products could be used to produce other valuable materials and commodities. This is what sets Breaking apart from the field."
Donald
Ingber, M.D., Ph.D.
Ingber
Co-founder and Founding Director of the Wyss Institute at Harvard University, Judah Folkman Professor of Vascular Biology at Harvard Medical School and Boston Children's Hospital, and Hansjorg Wyss Professor of Bioinspired Engineering at Harvard John A. Paulson School of Engineering & Applied Sciences
"We are excited to see how Colossal Biosciences has enabled our novel discovery to break away from its competitors in the plastic remediation space by developing a bioinspired technology that can degrade many types of plastics that are threatening our environment. This can be accomplished without pretreatment and the breakdown products could be used to produce other valuable materials and commodities. This is what sets Breaking apart from the field."
Researching.
Experimenting.
Caring.
Focusing.
Targeting.
Digesting.
Decomposing.
Recycling.
Reformulating.
Reviving.
Rebuilding.
Learn More
Partners
1 OF 3
The Church Lab at Harvard University works on research projects that are distributed in diverse areas of modern biology, such as developmental biology, neurobiology, info processing, medical genetics, genomics, gene therapy, diagnostics, chemistry & bioengineering, space biology & space genetics, and ecosystems.
Colossal Biosciences is the world’s first and only de-extinction company. The efforts at Colossal have helped create revolutionary spinoff innovations, form new companies and expand the boundaries of what is possible.
The Wyss Institute at Harvard University is a research and development engine for disruptive innovation—powered by bioinspired technologies with visionary people at its heart.
Previous
Next
Ethics and Safety
THE STRUCTURE & SYSTEMS
THAT KEEP OUR SCIENCE
SAFE AND ETHICAL
We care about Earth and all living organisms. So we’ve developed a number of fail-safe technologies and systems to ensure everything we do at Breaking is for the good of all in our pursuit of a better tomorrow.
