US – Nestlé Waters North America (NWNA) in recognition of the fact that it’s a major producer of environment-damaging plastics has now invested in a startup that has a patented additive which is believed to speed up plastic degradation to address the issue of packaging waste.

The Start-up is Timeplast, a Florida-based plastic technology company which is confident about the viability of its technology in a world being chocked by plastics.  

According to Timeplast, the patented additive can break down the strong carbon bonds present in plastic packaging until the plastic has transformed into paraffin wax, a colourless, biodegradable jelly.

The speed of degradation is reportedly determined by the amount of additive a company uses in the manufacturing process.

As part of the investment in Timeplast, NWNA will provide financing and additional support to evaluate the viability of the technology, combining NWNA’s safety, quality and performance standards for food-grade packaging with Timeplast’s technology.

Following NWNA’s investment in Timeplat, a new limited liability company, TPN Alliance Polymers LLC, has been established to oversee the development of the technology.

NWNA states that the investment forms part of its efforts to identify sustainable packaging solutions that address plastic pollution levels.

The company’s Poland Spring bottled water brand announced a collaboration with the University of Maine and its Forest Bioproducts Research Institute earlier this year, which aims to evaluate and develop bio-based solutions that could serve as alternative packaging for Poland Spring products.

Meanwhile, NWNA announced that its Ozarka, Deer Park and Zephyrhills US water brands would convert their packaging to 100% recycled plastic (rPET) earlier this year, with the company claiming that it had doubled the amount of rPET used across its US domestic portfolio.

David Tulauskas, vice-president and chief sustainability officer at Nestlé Waters North America, noted that for more than five years, NWNA has brought to market an increasing number of bottles made from other bottles.

Tulauska further noted that the water bottling giant had launched campaigns to inspire consumers to recycle their bottles, helping to drive toward a circular economy.

“As we make progress toward a zero-waste future, we’re enthusiastic to build on our work by exploring alternative technologies such as those presented by Timeplast,”Tulauska added.

Liked this article? Subscribe to Food Business Africa News, our regular email newsletters with the latest news insights from Africa and the World’s food and agro industry. SUBSCRIBE HERE