Hydropol™

Hydropol™ is hydrophilic, it loves water and when fully dissolved in solution creates no microplastics.

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) defines microplastics as plastic particles that range in size from 1 nanometre (nm) to 5 millimetres (mm). The EPA does not currently classify PVOH/PVA as a microplastic, primarily because it is marketed as water-soluble and biodegradable.

Hydropol™ will not form harmful microplastics or persist in the environment unlike conventional pastics whose long-lasting micro-particles cause major problems to the marine food chain.

The presence of chemical functional groups which are common in natural materials on its long polymer chain allows continuous fragmentation without the formation of toxins, or the subsequent absorption of toxins from the environment associated with traditional plastics. There is an abundance of academic research carried out in this area.

Polyvinyl alcohol (PVOH) has many chemical groups along its polymer chains, these groups are found in natural polymers such a cellulose and starch, and allow for water and microbes to break the structure into smaller pieces. Instead of accumulating as stubborn fragments or microplastics, these smaller pieces dissolve and are consumed by microorganisms, turning into harmless substances such as water and carbon dioxide. Numerous independent studies have shown this step-by-step breakdown under typical treatment or environmental conditions, confirming that PVOH avoids the toxin buildup and persistent microplastic issues seen with many traditional plastics.

Hydropol can help improve the recyclability of multi-layer structures, and increase the recovery rates of valuable recyclable materials.

Traditional paper-based barrier products, such as LDPE-coated paper, can pose challenges for paper mills. LDPE is insoluble, creating a reject stream that is costly to dispose of, can block screens, reduce process efficiency, and may carry away valuable fibre during separation. In contrast, soluble materials like Hydropol enable 100% fibre recovery, as no reject material is generated.

Hydropol has been tested using CEPI / 4evergreen Recyclability Evaluation Protocols, demonstrating that it not only delivers barrier performance and functionality to paper but also enables 100% fibre recovery during recycling.

This was further validated by an independent study jointly commissioned by DS Smith and Aquapak, published in PITA (“Considerations for process, product and environmental fate testing of soluble bio-digestible barriers for paper and board packaging”). The research confirms that innovative barriers like Hydropol offer a viable alternative to conventional plastic coatings by improving fibre separation, eliminating plastic waste from the recycling stream, and significantly reducing environmental impact. It also found no adverse effects on wet-end chemistry or water treatment processes in paper mills.

Yes, Hydropol is compatible with existing recycling infrastructure.

For example, Hydropol coated paper crisp packets have been certified as kerbside recyclable in standard paper recycling mills by OPRL, which assesses recyclability by looking at how easy it is for consumers to put the packaging into recycling collections, whether the UK’s recycling infrastructure can handle that material/packaging combination, and whether there are markets for the resulting recyclate.

The green Recycle label means that 75% or more of UK local authorities collect this type of packaging through household recycling collections. It is then effectively sorted, processed, and sold as recyclate for use in new packaging or products.

Hydropol is a thermoplastic and can be recycled provided the correct infrastructure is in place for collection and sorting. Aquapak has commissioned a study to find out how much material pre consumer recyclate can be used to meet the demands of the Packaging and Packaging Waste Regulation and global Plastic Taxes.

For multi-layer film materials, Hydropol is compatible with existing recycling streams such as polyethylene and does not cause any contamination as certified by Cyclos HTP, according to the German Standard for recyclability.

Hydropol is currently in the process of being tested for recyclability according to proposed EU methodology for recyclability and Aquapak is working with organizations such as RECYCLASS and CEFLEX to support their Design for Recyclability Guidelines.

Clearly this is not the preferred method of disposal for any material according to Global and EU initiatives on plastic pollution.  However, if Hydropol is unintentionally released through littering or landfilled, films tested pass criteria for disintegration in anaerobic conditions. This data allowed a calculation to meet the requirements of anaerobic landfill conditions according to ASTM D5526 AD.

Yes, Hydropol is marine-safe. Hydropol is hydrophilic (water liking) and has no natural tendency to attract toxins or form toxic microplastics and is itself non-toxic to marine fauna. A 2-year marine toxicity study on zebra fish larvae showed this to be the case

Biodegradable refers to materials that break down naturally through microorganisms like fungi and bacteria. Hydropol is made from polyvinyl alcohol (PVOH). PVOH is inherently biodegradable according to Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) test methods. 

We have focused our biodegradation work on land environments as Hydropol is water soluble, does not harm marine life or form harmful microplastics. Under composting conditions which are man-made and occur directly in soil, a compost heap, indoor compost bins, or commercial composters, 15–20 micron film (depending on grade) is expected to pass EN13432 criteria which requires for sample to disintegrate after 12 weeks and completely biodegrade after 6 months.

Under these conditions, Hydropol will breakdown into biomass, carbon dioxide and water. For crisp packets, for example, the Hydropol gauge would be much lower so we would expect the time to be reduced significantly.

Under landfill conditions, in the absence of oxygen, Hydropol will breakdown into biomass, methane, carbon dioxide and water, the test method does not stipulate time limitations, just that the material is converted into the gases which Hydropol does and so passes the standard.

Hydropol is an innovative hydrophilic (water-loving) polymer that behaves and performs like plastic but does not persist in the environment after use. Instead, it breaks down quickly in the presence of water without attracting other toxins or forming harmful microplastics, as traditional polymers would.

As it degrades, smaller oxidised polymer chains are formed that eventually break down to carbon dioxide and water. The material does not form toxic microplastics or yield any harmful products at any stage of the breakdown and biodegradation process.

Hydropol is an extremely versatile and functional material.

It is commercially available for extrusion coatings and laminates for paper/board applications. These are especially well-suited for food or non-food FMCG packaging needs including snacks, chocolate and confectionery, home and personal care.

It can also be manufactured into fibres via meltblown or spunbond extrusion for various nonwoven applications such as personal or industrial wipes, filtration devices even dental floss.

Blown film products commercially available include garment bags, ESD bags, organic waste disposal bags and laundry bags for infection control.  

Hydropol is a patented formulation based on polyvinyl alcohol (PVOH), the material that is currently used for dishwasher tablets, ingestible pill casings and soluble stitches.

Our formulation helps retain all the positive end-of-life and environmental benefits of PVOH whilst also allowing the polymer to be thermally processed on existing packaging machinery.

It provides tailored solubility and excellent barrier properties as well as enhancing functionality and performance enabling a much wider range of uses than standard PVOH.