Impact Solutions Launches Impact-Bio™: The Fast Track to Biodegradability Compliance and Innovation

Impact Solutions proudly announces the launch of Impact-Bio™, a comprehensive service designed to bring clarity, speed, and confidence to the complex world of biodegradability and environmental compliance.

This launch builds on a journey that began with a Knowledge Transfer Partnership (KTP) between Impact Solutions and Heriot-Watt University, Edinburgh, aimed at transforming biodegradation testing for polymers in liquid formulations (PLFs). PLFs are produced each year for everyday products like shampoos, detergents, paints, and adhesives, which have a combined annual global value of $1.27 trillion [1], but face growing environmental scrutiny.

That pioneering work has now evolved into a UKRI Future Leaders Fellowship, awarded to Dr Samuel Patterson, to drive transformative change in the polymer industry over the next four years. Every year, the world produces 460 million tonnes of plastic, 99% derived from fossil fuels. Sam’s fellowship will tackle one of the biggest bottlenecks in sustainable innovation—End-of-Life assessment—by creating rapid biodegradability tests that deliver results in days, not years. His research team will not only accelerate material development but will also help define the standards and frameworks that shape a sustainable future.

The Solution – Impact-Bio™ provides a clear, reliable route from idea to market-ready solutions, guiding companies through every stage of testing and regulatory compliance. The new service combines scientific authority with practical support, ensuring that products meet international standards and sustainability goals.

Key Benefits:

• Comprehensive Testing: Full suite of ISO, ASTM, OECD, and BSI biodegradation methods.
• Rapid Screening: Predictive accelerated tests delivering insights in days, not months, enabling faster decision-making and product development.
• Regulatory Expertise: Guidance on global regulations, green claims, and Packaging and Packaging Waste Regulation (PPWR).
• Trusted Accreditation: UKAS-accredited facilities for integrity and recognition.
• Scientific Leadership: World-class expertise in biodegradation processes and outcomes.

Introducing Rapid Screen:

As part of Impact-Bio™, Rapid Screen offers high-throughput, rapid biodegradability screening, leveraging authentic microbial communities to deliver biologically relevant, regulatory-aligned results. This new platform helps innovators de-risk the development of polymers in liquid and solid formulations, accelerating progress toward compliance.

Why Impact-Bio™ Matters:

Whether you’re an established manufacturer or an early-stage innovator, Impact-Bio™ is the path of least resistance for bio-based, biodegradable, and sustainable materials development – anywhere in the world.

Dr Jen Vanderhoven, Chief Executive Officer at BBIA, commented: “In 2021, the government published a call for evidence on the demand, benefits, and standards for bio-based and biodegradable materials – highlighting their potential to reduce fossil fuel reliance and prevent food waste but also emphasised the need for robust evidence and standards to avoid unintended consequences. A particular concern was raised around the use of biodegradable materials and being able to demonstrate how they behave in the open environment. Impact-Bio TM represents a huge step forward in being able to determine how materials biodegrade and this initiative and innovation in biodegradation testing will help transform ideas into market-ready solutions with speed, integrity, and scientific rigor.”

Read more news from Impact Solutions here.

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