Luxury furniture brand Heller has unveiled a groundbreaking innovation that could reshape the future of plastic waste. In collaboration with research firm Worry Free Plastics, the company has begun using an enzyme that enables its plastic products to biodegrade once placed in oxygen-free environments such as landfills or oceans.
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This "self-destroying" plastic technology involves adding a powdered enzyme into the plastic during production. The enzyme remains inactive under normal conditions, but activates in anaerobic settings, breaking the plastic down within approximately five years. By comparison, conventional plastics can take up to 500 years to degrade and often leave behind harmful microplastics, according to the United Nations.
The innovation is part of Heller's broader effort to move beyond recycled materials. 'We wanted to get to the next level and become more sustainable,' said John Edelman, Heller's president and CEO. 'How can we be good for the planet and create incredible design?'
The process is not only environmentally promising but also economically efficient. The enzyme is described as a "drop-in technology" that does not require manufacturers to alter existing production lines. Philip Myers, co-founder of Worry Free Plastics, emphasised its ease of adoption: 'It doesn't require them to change their equipment, their process, anything. It's plug and play.'
Heller began integrating the enzyme into its products in November 2024 and expects it to replace existing inventory in the near future. The end result of the decomposition process is biogas and nutrient-rich soil, a sharp contrast to the pollution typically caused by plastic waste.
Edelman summarised the company's mission: 'We actually achieved our goal of not just using recycled products, not just being recyclable, but going back to the earth.'
Source: www.thecooldown.com