Marine microorganisms found to digest new polyurethane materials used in a startup's sustainable shoes

 While plastics remain a ubiquitous part of human life, biosourced and especially biodegradable plastics are a promising solution to alleviate further accumulation of plastic waste in the environment, while still allowing for mass manufacture of plastic products that are now integral to our daily lives. Scientists at the University of California San Diego have developed new biodegradable materials that are designed to replace conventionally used plastic. After proving their polyurethane foams biodegrade in land-based composts, the researchers have now shown that the material biodegrades in seawater. The researchers identified individual microorganisms, from six marine sites around San Diego, CA, that were capable of depolymerizing, metabolizing, and accumulating biomass using these PU foams as a sole carbon source. Shoes, including flip-flops, the world’s most popular shoe, make up a large percentage of plastic waste that ends up in the world’s oceans and landfills. The researchers used blocks of foam that are currently used in the manufacture of shoes.



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