Manuel Rendon (born in San Cristobal, Venezuela, 1987) is an inventor and engineer who created a U.S. patented formulation for the dynamic disintegration of plastics, the upcycling process for unsorted waste stream and a bio-based copolymer with programmable water solubility.[1][2][3][4][5][6][7][8][9][10][11] On December 10, 2020, Nestle announced its investment in the company behind this technology.[12][13][14][15][16]
On plastic-waste regard, pollution is a Global concern given the fact that fossil-based plastic is a substance with a very high molecular weight,[17] This technology creates a homogeneous extremely-soluble copolymer which disintegrates after being discarded in the presence of water.[18][19][20][21]
It took Rendon five years and over 1200 experiments to complete his first paper.[22] In January 2014, Rendon applied for his first U.S. Patent, once it was approved, he resigned his position at PepsiCo and moved to Miami to launch Timeplast,[23] the company behind this technology. Paul Maguire, CEO of Riverdale Global, has presented this technology in the Refocus Sustainability and Recycling Summit, which took place June 27–29, 2017, at the Rosen Shingle Creek Hotel in Orlando, Florida.[24]
In May, 2021, this technology was selected as a finalist in Packaging Europe, a sustainable packaging innovation competition [25]
On December 10, 2020, it was announced that Nestle invested in Timeplast. David Tulauskas, Vice President and Chief Sustainability Officer at Nestlé Waters North America said; “As we make progress toward a zero-waste future, we’re enthusiastic to build on our work by exploring alternative technologies such as those presented by Timeplast."[26]
