THE SOLUTION
To build a green
tomorrow, we must
break a plastic
yesterday.
Plastic is a macro problem.
Breaking is the micro solution.
Breaking down every
type of plastic.
Our technology, including both super microbes and super enzymes, have massive potential across a variety of use cases and industries.
Composting
Accelerate composting processes, producing nutrient-rich compost while minimizing environmental contamination from food packaging and plastics mixed with organic materials.
Plastic Recycling
Enhance plastic recycling by incorporating Microbe X-32™, a microorganism capable of degrading various plastics, into existing recycling processes, improving the efficiency and effectiveness.
Landfills
Transform waste management by efficiently degrading plastics within treatment facilities and landfill sites.
Digesters
Optimize anaerobic digestion by breaking down plastic contaminants, which could improve biogas production efficiency and reduce operational challenges associated with plastic waste digestion.
Biogas/Biomass
Enable efficient plastic degradation, which could enhance biogas and biomass production by increasing renewable energy yield while addressing plastic pollution.
Ocean Cleanup
Provide innovative solutions for ocean cleanup, targeting plastic pollution hotspots to facilitate removal and degradation of plastic waste and restoring marine ecosystems.
Wastewater Treatment
Treat wastewater contaminated with microplastics before it re-enters the environment.
Soil Decontamination
Clean up soil contaminated with plastic fragments or microplastics from agricultural practices or spills.
Industrial Sites
Remediate plastic-contaminated soil around industrial facilities that use or produce plastics.
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
Plastic waste
& Microplastics
Breaking Down the Data
Research
Size and
GHG Emissions
Overall Waste
2/3
of all plastic ever produced has been released into the environment and remains there in some form.
Source: Plastic & Health: The Hidden Costs of a Plastic Planet, Center for International Environmental Law, 2019
Growth in Single-Use
From 2019-21, growth in single-use plastics made from virgin polymers was 15 times that from recycled feedstocks.
(Source: Plastic Waste Makers Index 2023).
Single-Use and GHG
Single-use plastic is not only a pollution crisis but also a climate one. Cradle-to-grave (Scope 1, 2 and 3) greenhouse gas emissions (GHG) from single-use plastics in 2021 were equivalent to ~450 million metric tons of carbon dioxide (MMT CO2e), more than the total GHG emissions of the United Kingdom.
(Source: Plastic Waste Makers Index 2023).
Plastic Production
Plastic production has sharply increased over the last 70 years. In 1950, the world produced just two million tons. It now produces over 450 million tons.
(Source: Plastic Pollution).
Human Health &
Consumption
Humans consume on avg
5
grams of
plastic per
week
which is equal to about one credit card, and 21 grams of plastic per month, which is about equivalent to approximately one lego brick.
CONSUMPTION
"Humans consume on average 5 grams of plastic per week, which is equal to about one credit card, and 21 grams of plastic per month, which is about equivalent to a lego brick.”
(Source: Assessing Plastic Ingestion from Nature to People, World Wildlife Fund, 2019).
BLOOD
A study published in 2022 found microplastics in human blood.
INHALATION
“Some fibrous MPs may be inhaled. Most of them are likely to be subjected to mucociliary clearance; however, some may persist in the lung causing localized biological responses, including inflammation, especially in individuals with compromised clearance mechanisms.”
INFLAMMATORY EFFECTS
“In all biological systems, microplastic exposure may cause particle toxicity, with oxidative stress, inflammatory lesions and increased uptake or translocation. The inability of the immune system to remove synthetic particles may lead to chronic inflammation and increase risk of neoplasia. Furthermore, microplastics may release their constituents, adsorbed contaminants and pathogenic organisms.”
CELL DAMAGE EFFECTS
“All plastic contains reactive oxygen species, or free radicals, which are unstable molecules that contain oxygen and easily react with other molecules in a cell. A build-up of free radicals in cells may cause damage to DNA, RNA, and proteins, and can lead to cell death.”
DECOMPOSING
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
With
Microbe X-32™
Breaking was able to demonstrate degradation of certain major plastic types down to
22 months
using indirect calculation from respirometry measurements.
Animal Health
Species
A peer-reviewed study found that
1,557 Species Worldwide,
including many endangered ones, have ingested plastic.
Deaths
Each year, an additional eight million tons of plastic end up in the world’s oceans where it is responsible for the deaths of up to.
1 million seabirds, 100,000 sea mammals, marine turtles, & countless fish.
(Source: The Ocean Conference 2017 Facts Sheet).
Environment & Ecological
Soil Fauna
In 2020, the first-ever field study to explore how the presence of microplastics can affect soil fauna was published in the Proceedings of the Royal Society. The paper notes that terrestrial microplastic pollution has led to the decrease of species that live below the surface, such as mites, larvae and other tiny creatures that maintain the fertility of the land.
Soil and plants
A study carried out in 2019 showed that when the soil was exposed to microplastics, specifically plastic fibers and PLA microplastics, fewer seeds germinated.
Landfill
Overall, 46% of plastic waste is landfilled, while 22% is mismanaged and becomes litter. Unlike other materials, plastic does not biodegrade. It can take up to 1,000 years to break down, so when it is discarded, it builds up in the environment until it reaches a crisis point.
Ocean & Water
Size
There are 21,000 pieces of plastic in the ocean for each person on Earth. Humans have filled the world’s oceans with more than 170 trillion pieces of plastic, dramatically more than previously estimated, according to this major study.
Coral Reefs
Invertebrate corals and coral reefs in tropical and sub-tropical countries have suffered immensely from MP pollution and have shown a gradually decreasing trend of coral reef concentration on the oceanic surface. The bioaccumulation and ingestion of MP debris by the coral polyps have hindered the growth of the corals and forced coral bleaching.
(Source: Microplastics in the coral ecosystem, Ocean & Coral Management, 2024).
Ground Water
“Thanks to their strong hydrophobicity, absorption capacity, and large specific area, MPs are in turn drivers for other contaminants during the seepage processes. In addition to their own toxic additives, MPs tend to adsorb and transport a wide range of organic and inorganic hazardous substances like heavy metals, pesticides, bisphenols, and antibiotics.”
Marine Litter
Plastics are the largest, most harmful and most persistent fraction of marine litter, accounting for at least 85 percent of total marine waste.
(Source: UN Sustainable Development Goals, The United Nations).
Size
“10 million tons of plastic are dumped in our oceans annually. That’s equal to more than a garbage truck load every minute.”
(Source: The Facts, Plastic Oceans, 2022).
Marine Life
If current trends continue, our oceans could contain more plastic than fish by 2050.
(Source: Tourism’s Plastic Pollution Problem, The One Planet Network, N/A).
Economic Impact
Economic Loss
Researchers estimate a loss of 1-5% in marine ecosystem services as a result of plastic pollution. This reduction equals a loss of about $500 billion to $2.5 trillion per year. That’s about $33,000 per metric ton of plastic pollution.
(Source: First in Science: The Economic Impacts of Plastic Pollution).
Impact on
Developing Countries
A WWF-commissioned report developed by Dalberg warns that the true cost of plastic on the environment, health and economies can be as much as 10 times higher for low-income countries, even though they consume almost three times less plastic per-capita, than high-income ones.
(Source: WWF REPORT: Who pays for plastic pollution?).
Economic Impact
Plastic pollution is one of the greatest human-made threats our planet faces. Of the approximately 275 million metric tons of plastic waste produced annually, up to 12 million tons leak into oceans, wreaking havoc on livelihoods and ecosystems. The result is an estimated $13 billion in annual environmental damage to marine ecosystems, in addition to other economic losses and significant health and human concerns.
Putting an end to
the Plasticene Era