Greentech Lead America: Newlight Technologies, which develops technology to convert greenhouse gas into sustainable PHA (polyhydroxyalkanoate) plastics, and Biomer, which transforms PHA biopolymers into high-performance bioplastics, have executed partnership to expand sales of greenhouse gas-based PHA plastics.
Under the terms of the partnership, Newlight has acquired the rights to Biomer’s intellectual property, including for the functional modification of PHAs.
Under the partnership, Newlight will combine the company’s high yield greenhouse gas-to-PHA conversion and functionalization technologies with Biomer’s expertise in the functional modification of PHA plastics to generate high-performance, cost-effective, sustainable PHA materials.
Newlight CEO, Mark Herrema, said, “By combining Biomer’s unique intellectual property with Newlight’s high yield gas-to-plastic conversion and functionalization technologies, we have an opportunity to fundamentally transform the sustainable materials market, and we intend to do so.”
“Newlight’s high yield technology opens the door to a new cost structure for the production of PHAs that will enable us to leverage our functionalization portfolio to expand sales in new markets,” said Urs Haenggi, founder and president of Biomer.
Newlight’s carbon capture technology is operable using a wide range of gas sources, including greenhouse gases derived from landfills, digesters, wastewater facilities, and energy facilities. The company sells its greenhouse gas-derived PHA plastics to customers with applications ranging from films to furniture parts to storage containers.