Metabolix, an advanced biomaterials company, has announced it has entered into a global, exclusive commercial and technology alliance with Honeywell to offer new marine biodegradable biopolymers for use in cosmetics and personal care products.
Through the alliance, Metabolix’s Mirel polyhydroxyalkanoate (PHA) biopolymers will be developed as part of Honeywell’s Asensa line of personal care additives to help address pending legislation in the US focused on replacing synthetic, non-biodegradable microbeads, as well as global demand for biobased and biodegradable alternatives. This technology is intended to meet increasing regulation and other requirements around the world for personal care microbeads that biodegrade in marine and fresh water environments. Using applicable ASTM test methods, the marine biodegradability of Mirel PHA biopolymers has been shown to be similar to that of cellulose and paper, and is faster than other commercially available biodegradable polymers.
