High-Throughput Pre-Screening for Biodegradability

B4Plastics

Since 2014, B4Plastics has been pioneering in the creation, production, commercialization, and licensing of innovative biomaterials. Capitalizing on a unique range of biobased building blocks, the company tailors its materials to a wide spectrum of applications. What sets B4Plastics apart is its ability to design precise biodegradation characteristics for each use case, ensuring that materials remain functional for as long as needed before fully breaking down, leaving no trace of microplastics behind.

With applications ranging from disposable products like  programmed tie wraps and binders/clips for crop cultivation, which must sometimes biodegrade within months, to durable solutions like brushes and geotextiles, which require controlled biodegradation over several years, the need for efficient biodegradation assessment methods has never been greater. Recognizing this challenge, B4Plastics sought innovative approaches to accelerate biodegradation potential testing.

Stefaan De Wildeman, CEO of B4Plastics emphasizes the urgency: “There is an urgent need to develop more novel biodegradable materials and measure the sources of the microplastics in our bodies. Up to 600 Olympic-size pools of microplastics find their way to nature in the EU every year. The time is now to act, however, one of the main challenges is the time-intensive character of traditional biodegradation test methods.”

Normec OWS

Normec OWS is a global leader in biodegradability and compostability testing, with decades of expertise dating back to its first biodegradation tests in 1989. Over the past 35+ years, Normec OWS has tested thousands of materials on biodegradability and compostability, supporting hundreds of companies worldwide in achieving certifications and confidently making verified public claims. As a true pioneer in the field, Normec OWS recognizes the critical role of standard development and has played a key part in shaping the industry. Normec OWS has contributed to the creation of multiple standards for both industrial and home compostability, as well as advanced test methods for biodegradability across various environments, including soil, freshwater, and seawater.

Initially, market interest was primarily centered on short-life applications that required rapid biodegradation, such as food service ware, under managed end-of-life options like industrial and home composting. However, in recent years, the focus has shifted toward long-life applications and the growing concern over microplastic pollution from post-use degradation in open environments.

Sam Deconinck, Business Development Director of Normec OWS, explains: “We see a clear shift in market interest towards what is often identified as environmental fate.  What happens if my product ends up in a field or in the ocean, will my product also biodegrade completely in different types of soil and where will it go faster/slower, etc. Traditional biodegradation test methods are currently being used to address these questions, but the industry really wants and needs innovative methods to identify biodegradation behavior in a shorter time frame”.

Revolutionizing biodegradability testing

The collaboration between B4Plastics and Normec OWS started in 2019, initially focusing on ISO-approved testing for short-life applications. As the industry demanded faster, more cost-effective testing methods, both companies joined forces with a shared vision – to revolutionize the biodegradability testing market.

Stefaan De Wildeman: “I remember from my time at DSM that the pharmaceutical industry faced this challenge already back in the 90’s. There was thus no need to completely reinvent the wheel. The quest to develop a high-throughput pre-screening testing platform was born.”

Biodegradation pre-screening platform

After years of dedicated effort, the first version of the platform has officially launched, empowering the industry to bring sustainable products to market faster. Built on a foundation of advanced screening tests with synergetic interactions, the platform generates extensive big data and predictive models. As a continuously evolving system, it will integrate additional screening tests over time, equipping the industry with the cutting-edge testing methods it urgently needs.

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