Products That Wear: Exploring How to Avoid Microplastic Pollution through the Design of Products with Ambiently Biodegradable Plastics

Puck Bos, Linda Ritzen, Sonja van Dam, Ruud Balkenende, Conny Bakker

In contrast to most plastics, ambiently biodegradable (AB) plastics fully break down under natural conditions, avoiding microplastic pollution. This study takes a research-through-design approach to explore how we might use AB plastics in durable products that wear down, and how this affects their design. Through speculative design explorations of diverse cases, we developed a preliminary design framework that introduces a novel approach to integrating AB plastics into sustainable product design. Our study addresses the tension between the durability of products and the temporality of biodegradable plastics, which must break down under ambient conditions to prevent microplastic pollution. We explored the current limitations of AB plastics, including their mechanical properties and the challenges they pose when used in real-world conditions. While the analysis is explorative and not exhaustive, our findings indicate that AB plastics have the potential to serve as a viable solution for reducing microplastic pollution in applications where microplastic release is unavoidable. We also stress the importance of designing with circular design principles to ensure high-value recovery pathways are prioritized over biodegradation whenever possible. The study concludes by emphasizing the need for continued collaboration among product designers, material scientists, and biodegradation experts to further optimize the properties and applications of AB plastics, suggesting that practical testing and case studies will be key to advancing their use in sustainable product design.