For immediate release: 7 August 2024
AQUAPAK APPOINTS SUSTAINABILITY AND CIRCULAR ECONOMY EXPERT TO ITS ADVISORYBOARD-Aquapak has developed marine-safe, biodegradable and recyclable polymer as analternative to conventional plastics –-Innovative polymer Hydropol breaks down without forming harmful microplastics

Aquapak Polymers Ltd, which specialises in polymer-based material technologies that can deliver
both performance and environmental responsibility at scale, has today announced the appointmentof sustainability and circular economy expert, Debbie Luffman, to its Advisory Board.
Debbie has over 20 years’ experience of working in fashion, textiles and sustainable business. She
currently runs the change agency Think Circular, which helps businesses to unlock opportunities
through a circular approach to design, sourcing and exploring alternative means of production andconsumption.
For fourteen years, she was Product Director at pioneering outdoor clothing brand and Bcorp,
Finisterre, where she led ambitious innovation initiatives, and implemented new business models
and strategic partnerships to advance circularity. Debbie is also a carbon literacy facilitator atFashion Declares, a tutor on the Business Sustainability Management course at the Cambridge
Institute for Sustainable leadership, and a trustee at environmental behaviour change charity
Hubbub.
The Advisory Board provides advice and input to support Aquapak’s management team as theyembark on an exciting phase of global growth and innovation. This includes identifying multiple
applications for its Hydropol polymer technology. Developed and manufactured in the UK,
TM

Hydropol™ is soluble, non-toxic and marine safe. Products made with Hydropol™ are safe forexisting recycling processes and are fully biodegradable, leaving no trace or harmful microplastics
should they enter the environment.
Commenting on Debbie’s appointment, Mark Lapping, Chief Executive Officer, Aquapak, said:“Debbie’s experience in the fashion and textiles sector is highly relevant to us as it is an important
strategic market opportunity for Hydropol technology. Several brands have already introduced ourHydropol garment bags in place of conventional single-use plastic as part of their commitment tosustainability and the circular economy. We look forward to working closely with Debbie to growour market share.”Debbie Luffman said:“I work with many different businesses who are committed to the circular economy. Moving tosustainable packaging with better end of life options is a big part of meeting this challenge, so I am
delighted to be joining Aquapak’s advisory board and helping develop and promote its groundbreaking Hydropol technology.”
To help reduce plastic packaging pollution Aquapak has developed Hydropol™, a unique newpolymer which is soluble and non-toxic to marine life. Hydropol™can be used as an alternative toconventional plastic in a wide variety of applications as it provides the same functionality andperformance but without the associated environmental problems. It is currently used to makeproducts such as garment bags, offering all the necessary features of traditional polybags: strengthand puncture resistance; clarity of film; and protection from leakages and dirt.
Crucially, Hydropol garment bags present zero end-of-life issues for consumers and brands. They canbe disposed of in existing domestic waste streams without contaminating other recyclable products
or they can be dissolved immediately in hot water at home without producing harmful microplastics. They are also compostable and degrade harmlessly on land or in the ocean.

www.aquapakpolymers.com-Ends –Notes to editors
About Aquapak
Aquapak develops and manufactures a range of adaptive polymer-based material technologies thatdeliver both performance and environmental responsibility at scale. For example, it has developed
Hydropol, an enabling technology for the circular economy, which is biodegradable, compostable
and marine-safe, and used in a range of packaging materials. Aquapak’s HQ and manufacturing
centre is in Birmingham, UK, with its main geographical markets in the US, EU and Asia.
www.aquapakpolymers.com
About HydropolTM - Accelerating the transition to the Circular Economy

Hydropol™, developed and produced by Aquapak, is a highly functional, specialty environmental
polymer that allows product design to support the circular economy – by enabling recycling anddelivering multiple end-of-life options. It is designed to be an alternative to traditional plastics,
offering their versatility and functionality but without harming the environment.
Hydropol™ is soluble, non-toxic and marine safe. Products made with Hydropol™ are safe forexisting recycling processes and are fully biodegradable, leaving no trace or plastic pollution should
they enter the environment.
As an enabling technology, Hydropol™ can be used on its own or in combination with othermaterials to enhance recyclability, compostability and end-of-life options. Its material properties
allow for scalability into diverse types of products and its solubility makes it easy to separate fromother materials when recycling. For example, it can be extrusion coated and laminated onto paper orboard giving strength and barrier properties against oxygen, oil and grease then made into
alternative mailing bags, dry pet food sacks, window patch boxes and packets etc.
To dispose, consumers can simply put the packaging into their household paper waste. The Hydropol
layer is formulated to ‘wash off’ (dissolve) during the paper repulping process and then either
biodegrades in the wastewater system or turned into clean energy if the plant has an AD system.
Who is using Hydropol?
Consumers and businesses are increasingly concerned about plastic pollution and environmental
sustainability. Packaging producers need solutions. Aquapak has partnered with a growing base ofclients in apparel, fashion, hospitality, healthcare, food packaging, logistics packaging, industrial,nonwovens, and other packaging.
What is Hydropol made from?
The base plastic is currently used for dishwasher tablets, ingestible pill casings and soluble
stitches. HydropolTM ‘s resistance to low temperature solubility and high barrier to elements adds
functionality, providing a wider range of uses. It can be recycled, re-pulped, composted andis distinctively compatible with anaerobic digestion. Furthermore, if unintentionally releasedinto the natural environment, HydropolTM – which is non-toxic and marine safe - will dissolve andsubsequently biodegrade, leaving no trace.
What is Hydropol being used for?
Extrusion coatings and laminates for paper/board applications are commercially available and incustomer production trial stages, including a number of home delivery and ecommerce applications,packaging for dried pet food, snacks, cooked meat and convenience food applications.
Blown film products commercially available and made from HydropolTM include garment bags, ESDbags, organic waste disposal bags and laundry bags for infection control. These can be disposed ofat home by the consumer in hot water or added to the recycling where they dissolve during therecycling wash processes.
Other applications under development with customers and development partners include injection
moulded parts such as golf tees, nonwoven fibre for applications such as flushable wet wipes andcellulose combinations for thermoformed trays.
Contact

Clare Anderson
email: clare@andersoncommsconsultancy.com
mobile: +44 (0)7958 665 883 telephone: +44 (0)208 870 6412
twitter: @ClareLooker