Polymateria, a startup located on Imperial College's campus, has developed the world's first polyethylene that is both recyclable and truly biodegradable in the natural environment. The material tested was a thin plastic film, but Polymateria also has rigid plastic material that also breaks down in the natural environment in less than a year, and is in the final phases of testing for recyclability.

The article posted to Imperial College's website features a photo of Polymateria's lab, with QUV and Q-SUN testers from Q-Lab featured prominently. Independent verification of the plastics' recylability was also provided by Impact Solutions, who are longtime users of Q-Lab test equipment.

This research illustrates how weathering test equipment can be used to test not just materials' durability, but their ability to break down as well.