KarmaCane has already been validated across multiple production methods:

• Extrusion into pellets and filaments
• Injection moulding at lab scale
• Hydrophobic coatings for fibre- and paper-based packaging

Teysha is preparing to scale monomer production to tonne-level manufacture, using third-party industrial assets to expand rapidly without infrastructure bottlenecks. Early modelling indicates KarmaCane products will be cost-competitive with PET, ABS and other mainstream plastics once at scale.

KarmaCane’s design directly addresses regulatory and commercial pressures:

1. Cosmetics: Eliminates the need for microplastics used as thickeners, stabilisers and film-formers. Replacing these polymers could remove up to 8,700 tonnes annually from the cosmetics sector alone.
2. Packaging: Early coating trials show water-resistant barriers for paper and cardboard without plastic laminates.
3. Marine environments: Rapid aquatic biodegradation without persistent fragments makes KarmaCane suitable for coastal and offshore use.
4. Medical: Degradation into alcohol and CO₂ rather than acids could reduce inflammation risks compared to existing biodegradable polymers.

Global regulation is driving urgent demand for sustainable alternatives. The European Chemicals Agency (ECHA) is rolling out restrictions on microplastics in consumer products. International bans on single-use plastics are also accelerating the need for scalable biodegradable solutions.

Matthew Stone, CEO of Teysha Technologies says that “The Everest test proves KarmaCane can survive the harshest environments. But more importantly, it shows that our polymer platform can be engineered to meet the needs of very different industries, from packaging to cosmetics to medical applications.”

Karen Wooley, CTO and inventor at Teysha Technologies explains, “KarmaCane is not just one product. It’s a materials platform. We can design it as a solid, a liquid, or a water-based suspension, depending on the application. That versatility sets it apart from other biopolymers and is key to scaling sustainable solutions.”