Polymateria
British technology company developing biodegradable plastic and packaging technologies.
Last updated November 4, 2026
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Overview
Polymateria is a privately owned British technology company developing materials intended to make difficult-to-recycle and commonly littered plastic products biodegrade in the natural environment. The company was founded in 2015 at Imperial College London by Jonathan Sieff and Lee Davy-Martin. It initially operated from the Imperial White City Incubator and moved in 2017 to the nearby Translation & Innovation Hub, where it established its headquarters and laboratory activities. The company’s central platform is a masterbatch-based process originally called Biotransformation and later marketed under the Lyfecycle name. The additive is incorporated into plastic during normal manufacturing rather than requiring manufacturers to replace existing polyolefin production systems. Polymateria has focused on polyethylene and polypropylene, which are widely used in bags, films, cups, caps, packaging and other products that are frequently lost to unmanaged waste streams. According to the company’s stated mechanism, the treated plastic remains usable and recyclable during its intended service life, but after exposure to environmental factors such as air, water and sunlight it breaks down into a wax-like intermediate. Microorganisms can then further digest that material into carbon dioxide and water. Polymateria says its process avoids persistent microplastics and that the timing of degradation can be controlled to preserve the product’s useful life and recycling window. Polymateria brought its first product to market in 2018. Its commercial development accelerated after Niall Dunne became chief executive in January of that year. The company subsequently pursued partnerships with chemical, packaging, nonwoven-fabric and consumer-goods businesses in Europe, Asia and North America. Announced or reported applications have included retail bags, food packaging, event cups and food-service packaging, nonwoven materials used in products such as masks and diapers, fashion packaging, recovery bags for sporting events and baler twine. Puma, Taiwanese 7-Eleven stores, Pour les Femmes, Extreme E and Indian fashion label Doodlage were among the organizations associated with reported applications or trials. In 2019 Polymateria partnered with specialty-chemicals company Clariant to explore Southeast Asian commercialization. A further agreement involving Clariant and India’s Ministry of Chemicals and Fertilizers was announced in 2020. That year, Planet First Partners invested £15 million, and Marc Bolland became chairman while Frédéric de Mévius joined the board. The company also received investment from the family of Hong Kong investor Silas Chou. In 2021 it signed a licensing agreement with Formosa Plastics that was reported as potentially reaching US$100 million in license fees, although the figure represented a potential deal value rather than reported revenue. Polymateria’s claims and the standards surrounding degradable plastics have attracted both support and criticism. In 2020 its product became the first to meet the newly introduced British PAS 9017 benchmark for the biodegradation of polyolefin-based plastics under specified conditions. Environmental organizations and major retailers nevertheless questioned the standard and warned that degradable plastics could increase littering, complicate recycling or generate microplastics. Polymateria has distinguished its technology from conventional oxo-degradable plastics and has maintained that its process does not create microplastics or adversely affect recycling systems. Independent testing and a study of its performance were published in 2021. The company continues to present itself as a developer and licensor of materials technology rather than a conventional packaged-goods brand. Its strategy has involved licensing, manufacturing partnerships and integration into existing packaging and polymer supply chains. In 2023 Polymateria reported a further £20 million investment and announced expansion plans, alongside a development agreement with a Lotte Chemical subsidiary in Malaysia. By January 2024, its technology had also been applied to biodegradable baler twine manufactured in Portugal. Its core commercial challenge remains demonstrating that treated plastics can be deployed at scale while maintaining recycling compatibility, meeting regulatory requirements and delivering credible end-of-life outcomes in markets with weak waste-management systems.
History
Polymateria was established in 2015 at Imperial College London by Jonathan Sieff and Lee Davy-Martin. The company spent its early development period at the Imperial White City Incubator before moving in 2017 to the Translation & Innovation Hub, also known as the I-HUB, in White City, London. Niall Dunne became chief executive in January 2018, and the business commercialized its first product in March of that year. The company developed a masterbatch additive for polyolefin plastics. Its technology was designed for polyethylene and polypropylene products, including bags, films, cups, caps and packaging. Polymateria’s stated approach was to allow products to be manufactured through established plastics processes and remain suitable for recycling during their useful life, while enabling biodegradation after exposure to environmental conditions. The company described the degradation pathway as conversion of the polymer into a wax-like material that can subsequently be consumed by microorganisms. It also claimed that its approach could reach lower molecular weights than earlier degradable-plastics methods and avoid the creation of persistent microplastics. Polymateria’s public profile increased in 2019. Prince Charles visited its laboratories in March, and in October the company announced a partnership with specialty-chemicals producer Clariant to explore the Southeast Asian market. In January 2020, Polymateria, Clariant and India’s Ministry of Chemicals and Fertilizers announced a further initiative focused on bringing the technology to India. In July of that year Planet First Partners invested £15 million. The investment was accompanied by board appointments, including Frédéric de Mévius and Marc Bolland, the former Marks & Spencer chief executive, who became chairman. The family of Hong Kong businessman Silas Chou also invested during 2020. Commercial discussions during 2020 included a reported Puma application for plastic bags in Southeast Asia and later the United Kingdom. Polymateria also said that its materials were being tested in food packaging in several countries, although the participating brands and products were not publicly identified. Steven Altmann-Richer, formerly associated with Tesla, joined the company in November 2020 to lead public affairs and regulatory strategy. A major milestone arrived with the British PAS 9017 standard, adopted in 2020 to establish testing requirements for the biodegradation of polyolefin-based plastics. Polymateria sponsored the development of the standard, which involved consultation and review by organizations including BSI, WRAP, the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs and the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy. Its product was reported as the first to meet the new benchmark. The standard also generated significant controversy. A group of 40 organizations, including Tesco, Aldi and the Environmental Services Association, criticized it and urged the United Kingdom to follow the European Union’s approach to oxo-degradable plastics. WWF and Keep Britain Tidy also expressed concerns that degradable products could encourage littering. WRAP stressed that participation in the standard-setting process did not constitute endorsement and later referred to an anomaly in the consultation and testing process. Polymateria responded that its technology was chemically distinct from oxo-degradable plastics and did not generate microplastics or harm recycling streams. In 2021, clothing company Pour les Femmes announced a packaging application, while Extreme E partnered with Polymateria for event cups and food packaging and planned to collect the materials for recycling. FiberVisions and Avgol, both associated with Indorama Ventures, also partnered with Polymateria to investigate applications in nonwoven fabrics used in products such as face masks and diapers. A performance study was published in Polymers in July 2021. In September, Polymateria signed a deal with Formosa Plastics that was reported as potentially worth up to US$100 million in licensing fees. Its materials were also reported in use in some Taiwanese 7-Eleven packaging. The company continued testing consumer and event applications. In 2022 its technology was demonstrated in sugarcane-based recovery bags at the Chicago Marathon. From 2023, the technology was increasingly branded Lyfecycle, including an application in bags for Indian fashion company Doodlage. Polymateria partnered with Toppan Specialty Films in India in April 2023 and announced a further £20 million investment in May. At the same time, it signed a development agreement with a Lotte Chemical subsidiary for Malaysia and described plans to expand. By January 2024, the platform had been used in biodegradable baler twine manufactured by a Portuguese producer. The company’s continuing strategy is to commercialize its materials through polymer producers, converters, brands and licensing partners across multiple markets.
- 2023
Lyfecycle branding and new investment
[1]Polymateria promoted its platform under the Lyfecycle name, raised a further £20 million and announced new manufacturing and development partnerships.
- 2021
Nonwoven and event applications expand
[1]The company announced partnerships involving nonwoven fabrics, Extreme E event materials and consumer packaging.
- 2020
PAS 9017 benchmark reached
[1]Polymateria’s product became the first reported product to meet the new British standard for testing polyolefin biodegradation.
- 2019
Clariant partnership announced
[1]Polymateria and Clariant began working toward commercialization of Biotransformation technology in Southeast Asia.
- 2018
Niall Dunne becomes chief executive
[1]Dunne took over as CEO, and Polymateria commercialized its first product during the year.
- 2017
Company moves to the I-HUB
[1]Polymateria moved from the Imperial White City Incubator to the Translation & Innovation Hub in White City, London.
- 2015
Polymateria founded at Imperial College London
[1]Jonathan Sieff and Lee Davy-Martin established the company as an Imperial College London technology venture.
Products and positioning
A materials-technology company positioned around circularity and end-of-life solutions for polyolefin plastics, with an emphasis on retaining conventional manufacturing and recycling compatibility while enabling biodegradation if plastic escapes managed waste systems.
Plastic additive technology · 2018
Biotransformation
Biotransformation is Polymateria’s original name for a masterbatch additive incorporated into polyolefin plastics during production. The company designed it for polyethylene and polypropylene products such as bags, films, cups, caps and packaging. Under suitable environmental exposure, treated plastics are intended to convert into a wax-like intermediate that microorganisms can further break down. Polymateria says the process is compatible with normal recycling before the product reaches its controlled end-of-life pathway and does not produce persistent microplastics.
Branded materials platform · 2023
Lyfecycle
Lyfecycle is the branding Polymateria began using from 2023 for its biodegradation materials platform. It is intended for integration into existing plastic products and supply chains rather than sale as a standalone consumer product. Reported applications include retail and fashion bags, food-service packaging, event materials and other polyolefin-based products. The platform emphasizes a defined useful life, recycling where available and biodegradation as a fallback when material enters unmanaged environmental conditions.
Agricultural and industrial packaging material · 2024
Biodegradable baler twine
Polymateria reported the introduction of biodegradable baler twine by January 2024. The product illustrates an expansion beyond consumer bags and food packaging into agricultural and industrial applications. It was produced by a Portuguese company using Polymateria’s technology, although the manufacturer’s name and detailed commercial specifications were not identified in the supplied reference material.
Controversies
2020
Criticism of PAS 9017 and degradable plastics
A coalition of retailers and environmental-service organizations criticized the British PAS 9017 standard associated with Polymateria, warning that degradable plastics could generate microplastics, disrupt recycling systems or encourage littering. WRAP clarified that its participation in the standard process was not an endorsement and later noted an anomaly in the consultation and testing process. Polymateria rejected the comparison with oxo-degradable plastics and maintained that its own process does not create microplastics or damage recycling streams.
Marketing campaigns
- 2022Chicago Marathon recovery-bag demonstration
United States
Polymateria’s technology was demonstrated in sugarcane-based recovery bags used during the Chicago Marathon.
Outcome. The application showcased the technology in a large sporting-event context.
- 2021Extreme E partnership
International
Polymateria supplied cups and food packaging for the Extreme E electric racing series and planned to collect the materials after events for recycling.
Outcome. The partnership provided a visible event-use demonstration of the company’s materials and their intended recycling pathway.
Brand decisions
2023
Scale through investment and licensing partnershipsStrategyBackground
Polymateria aimed to expand its materials platform across Asian manufacturing and packaging markets.
Action taken
The company announced a further £20 million investment, a development agreement with a Lotte Chemical subsidiary in Malaysia and a partnership with Toppan Specialty Films in India.
Aftermath
Management described expansion plans and continued the transition toward the Lyfecycle brand and partnership-led commercialization.
Investment raised. £20 million (May 2023)
2020
Pursue standards-based commercializationStrategyBackground
The company needed a recognized test framework for claims about biodegradation in real-world conditions.
Action taken
Polymateria sponsored work contributing to PAS 9017 and sought to validate its product against the new British benchmark.
Aftermath
The product became the first reported product to meet the benchmark, but the standard also became the subject of public criticism from retailers and environmental organizations.
- Tesco — Tesco was among the organizations associated with an open letter criticizing the standard and degradable-plastics risks.
- Aldi — Aldi was among the organizations associated with an open letter raising concerns about the standard.
2018
Commercialize the first Biotransformation productProduct launchBackground
After several years of laboratory and incubator development, Polymateria sought to move its additive technology into commercial plastic applications.
Action taken
The company brought its first product to market in March 2018.
Aftermath
This established the basis for later partnerships with polymer producers, packaging companies and consumer brands.
Recent events
- 2023
Polymateria adopts Lyfecycle branding[1]
Product generation · Product launch
The company began using Lyfecycle as the market-facing name for its technology and reported an application in bags made for Indian fashion brand Doodlage.
- 2023
Polymateria announces Toppan Specialty Films partnership[1]
Other
Polymateria partnered with the Indian plastics manufacturer Toppan Specialty Films to pursue technology applications.
- 2023
Polymateria raises further investment and signs Lotte Chemical development agreement[1]
M&A
The company received a further £20 million investment and announced a development agreement with a Lotte Chemical subsidiary in Malaysia.
- 2022
Polymateria technology appears at Chicago Marathon[1]
Campaign
Sugarcane-based recovery bags using the company’s technology were demonstrated during the Chicago Marathon.
- 2021
Study examines Polymateria biodegradation performance[1]
Other
A study of the company’s plastic biodegradation performance was published in the journal Polymers.
- 2021
Polymateria partners with Formosa Plastics[1]
Other
The companies signed a licensing agreement concerning Polymateria’s technology; the potential license value was reported as up to US$100 million.
- 2020
Polymateria expands India initiative with Clariant and government ministry[1]
Other
Polymateria, Clariant and India’s Ministry of Chemicals and Fertilizers announced an initiative to advance the technology in India.
- 2020
Planet First Partners invests in Polymateria[1]
M&A · Leadership change
Planet First Partners invested £15 million in Polymateria, accompanied by changes to the company’s board.
- 2020
Puma selected as an early user of Polymateria technology[1]
Product launch
Puma was reported to be adopting the technology for plastic bags used in Southeast Asian markets, with a planned United Kingdom rollout.
- 2020
Polymateria reaches PAS 9017 biodegradation benchmark[1]
Regulation
Polymateria’s product became the first reported product to meet the newly adopted British PAS 9017 standard for biodegradation testing.
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