LOS ANGELES, June 09, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- via NetworkWire – Prior to COVID-19, global efforts to reduce plastic waste were making powerful headway. More than half a year into the pandemic, those hard-won efforts are now threatened by significant increases in plastic waste from personal protective equipment (PPE) and the explosive demand for sanitizers, most of which are packaged in HDPE and PET. The need for plastic alternatives has never been greater.

On par with global measures to cut plastic pollution – such as bans on plastic shopping bags and single-use drinking straws – California-based start-up Circular Centric Inc. created a unique strategy to control the lifecycle of 100% compostable plant-based products developed in partnership with Industrial Technology Research Institute (ITRI), a world leading R&D institution working with companies such as Microsoft, Intel and Qualcomm, with high-profile spinoffs including Taiwan Semiconductor Mfg. Co. Ltd., Acer and HTC.

In late 2019, Circular Centric purchased two manufacturing facilities in California to produce bottles and disposable products made from its proprietary technology. Following the coronavirus pandemic, the company has expanded efforts to develop and introduce a new line of USDA/EPA Curative Biocentric 100% all-natural certified sanitizer formulation, in compostable bottles and enabled with a blockchain traceability solution. As of June 2020, these FDA-certified manufacturing facilities are on track to produce and fill 18 million 2- and 8-oz bottles with sanitizer per month.

The company then advanced on its objective to reduce plastic waste, establishing a partnership with Chrome Diagnostics for the distribution of its unique sanitizer from Circular Centric’s FDA-certified manufacturing facilities. The companies are now providing to universities and school systems across the nation superior-grade hand sanitizers packaged in BPI-certified compostable bottles.

Circular Centric – Key Highlights

• The world’s first hand sanitizer in a USDA-certified compostable, all-natural bottle addresses plastic pandemic
• Hand sanitizer is EPA-approved, effective against SARS-COV-2 and 99.9% of viruses and germs
• Multi-channel, circular approach creates an unrivaled, eco-friendly, proprietary end-product backed by blockchain technology
• Fully compostable products formulated with naturally occurring polymer for rapid decomposition
• FDA-certified manufacturing facility on pace to produce 18 million bottles of plant-based bottles per month
• Circular Centric, under its Curative Biocentric brand, has temporary FDA license
• Blockchain-based smart solution, providing collective access to secure and reliable information about the product, certification, tracing, and measuring environmental impact.
• Advancing a Zero-Waste, Tru end-of-life circular recycling solution to reduce, reuse, and compost global consumption of natural resources.
• Secured $1.3 million in seed funding, providing the commercialization of Circular Centric’s plant-based technology for single-use compostable bottles containing EPA-approved sanitizer 

Addressing the Plastic Pandemic

The global hand sanitizer market on pace to reach $7.3 billion by 2027, according to Reports and Data. Most hand sanitizer bottles are made of recyclable plastic, but no plastic is biodegradable. The allure of compostable packaging is its ability to breakdown into natural elements within a couple years; in an industrial composting facility, the process is even faster.

Sadly, many bottles of hand sanitizer used through the pandemic and years following will never see a recycling or composting facility. This is where Circular Centric’s technology wields incredible potential.

In August 2020, the company will begin manufacturing bottles made from PHA (polyhydroxyalkanoate), a naturally occurring, compostable bio-polymer. If a bottle of Circular Centric’s PHA bottle finds its way into the ocean, the bottle will break down into CO2, water and organic waste in as little as four to five months. This capability has the potential for tremendous implication in the global push to keep plastic out of our oceans.

COVID-19 has wreaked havoc on economies and healthcare systems around the world. Its impact on our environment has yet to be seen, but environmentalists are sounding the alarms of devasting amounts of plastic pollution. Circular Centric’s approach to compostable packaging ensures its role as part of the solution, rather than part of the problem.

Quality Confirmed by Blockchain

The hand sanitizer market is inundated with low-quality, low-cost hand sanitizer products with alcohol percentages well below CDC’s recommendations of at least 50%. Circular Centric’s line of USDA BPI-certified products are backed by blockchain smart technology servicing the circular environment as an authenticity and traceability solution that enables consumers to track the history of the product for quality validation and counterfeit and fraud prevention. 

Each bottle of Curative Biocentric hand sanitizer features a blockchain-backed QR code that when scanned leads the consumer to a landing page detailing the product’s ingredients and certifications (EPA, FDA and USDA). The end goal is a high-quality product that earns consumer loyalty and reduces plastic waste. With blockchain technology and the highest industry standards certificates, we prove sustainability performance impact traceable, measurable, and credible.

About Industrial Technology Research Institute (ITRI)

Founded in 1973 in Taiwan, the Industrial Technology Research Institute (ITRI) is a non-profit RTO dedicated to spearheading emerging high technology industry and enhancing the competitiveness of existing industries. R&D in ITRI encompasses six technology areas: information & communications, electronics & optoelectronics, advanced manufacturing, biomedical & devices, material & chemicals, and energy & environment. with over 28,000 patents, 6,800 scientists, 3,200 of which hold advanced PhD degrees, ITRI is recognized as one of world leading research Institutes.

About Circular Centric Inc.
Creating a Circular Economy Through Compostables

Circular Centric is a California-based compostable packaging company focused on creating, building and supporting a circular economy comprised of a complete end-of-life packaging strategy and proprietary system. At Circular, we understand the connection between the health of the planet and the impacts of disposable packaging. Our emphasis is to control the lifecycle and circulation of our compostable products, utilizing an integrated, multi-channeled approach to improve the state of our planet and help brands create earth-friendly, single-use compostable packaging.

The Circular strategy centers on our unique 100% compostable formulation for total product breakdown; the use of blockchain technology for product traceability; a consumer-focused product membership subscription program; and the provision of recyclable bins at major institutions, stadium, universities and other event venues. Every day, we work to advance zero waste systems altogether by bringing together stakeholders, such as universities, institutions, governments, hospitals, and individual consumers, to create new solutions and opportunities towards a circular economy.

For more information, visit: www.circularcentric.com, www.itri.org.tw
Email Contact: info@circularcentric.com

Media Contact
Multimedia Journalists - Brian Hill
Email: brian@circularcentric.com

For further information on the Federal Government / EPA Coronavirus and Viral Pathogen Registration Process

January 2020 EPA activated—for the first time ever—its Emerging Viral Pathogens Guidance for Antimicrobial Pesticides. https://www.epa.gov/coronavirus/disinfectant-use-and-coronavirus-covid-19

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