The Persistent Threat of Microplastics

LAFAYETTE, Ind., Nov. 11, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- BioBond, a leader in sustainable materials innovation, today announced the publication of a pivotal new white paper: "The Dichotomy of Plastic Pollution: 'Good' vs. 'Bad' Microplastics from Biobased and Petroleum-Derived Polymers."

The Crucial Distinction: Persistence is the Problem

According to Dr. Clayton Westerman, BioBond's Chief Science Officer and the paper's author, "We must move beyond a simple denunciation of 'all microplastics.' The pervasive threat of microplastics isn't just their existence; it's their persistence. Petroleum-based plastics yield persistent 'bad' microplastics that accumulate indefinitely, while biobased, biodegradable plastics generate a form of microplastic that can undergo complete mineralization, creating 'good' microplastics."

"Current petroleum coatings and adhesives are a major, often overlooked source of microplastics in our environment," said Marc McConnaughey, BioBond's Chief Executive Officer. "Our development approach and business model provides critical data and a robust framework for understanding and addressing this pollution by driving a more realistic conversation toward sustainable, material-specific solutions."

Driving the Shift in Coatings and Adhesives Away From Petroleum

BioBond's work is directly applicable to the massive $190 billion coatings and adhesives sector, which currently relies heavily on petroleum-based products. As Vice President of Products, Greg Piche, noted, BioBond is dedicated to accelerating the transition to plant-based alternatives for a safer, circular future.

• Goal: Eliminate persistent microplastics, "forever chemicals" while maintaining performance and costs
• Strategy: Utilize a "good-better-best" R&D and Capital Efficient approach.
• Progress: Developed, scaled, and released 10 biobased coatings and adhesive products

BioBond is accelerating the shift in the $190B coatings and adhesives sector from petroleum-based products to plant-based for a safer, sustainable, and circular future - eliminating microplastics and forever chemicals while reducing CO₂ emissions through a capital-efficient execution model. Using a good-better-best R&D approach, the company has developed, scaled up and released 10 biobased coatings and adhesive products based on 25 patent filings over the past 18 months.

About BioBond
BioBond Adhesives, Inc. is a material technology company developing new adhesive materials, coatings, and applications that makes our environment a healthier and safer place to live and work. We specialize in the development of biopolymer compounds to displace traditional petroleum-based adhesives and coatings. As the second company formed within Big Idea Ventures' Generation Food Rural Partners (GFRP) Fund, BioBond licenses intellectual property from multiple universities collaborating to develop novel materials to reduce the amount of plastic waste and VOCs such as formaldehydes entering the environment. BioBond headquarters is located in Lafayette, Indiana. For more information, visit https://biobond.com.

About Generation Food Rural Partners
Generation Food Rural Partners ("GFRP" or the "Fund") is an RBIC-licensed investment fund designed to drive economic growth and development in rural communities in the U.S. The Fund invests in the areas of agriculture, food, and protein technologies to form new companies based on intellectual property, creating living wage jobs at its portfolio companies. GFRP is backed by members of the Farm Credit System, including Farm Credit Services of America, CoBank, Compeer Financial and Mid-America Farm Credit. GFRP is part of Big Idea Ventures (BIV), the world's most active investor in FoodTech. BIV backs leading companies in food technology, AgriTech, and the bioeconomy across the globe. With teams based in New York, Paris, Singapore and India, BIV has invested in over 100 companies across 30 countries. It manages both the Global Food Innovation fund family and GFRP. For more information, visit www.bigideaventures.com/generation-food-rural-partners.

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SOURCE BioBond Adhesives, Inc.