We hear from RAWS Americas partner Camilo Ferro about the company’s biodegradation formula, said to leave no microplastics behind and a finalist in this year’s Sustainability Awards, nominated in the Commercialized Driving the Circular Economy category.
You’re a finalist in the Sustainability Awards 2025. Congratulations! To start off, could you summarize your entry, in less than 50 words?
RAWS is a breakthrough formula for PE, PP, and PET that enables full biodegradation in aerobic and anaerobic conditions, leaving no microplastics. Backed by ISO-certified third-party testing, RAWS offers a practical solution for plastics that will never be recycled, advancing packaging sustainability at scale without infrastructure changes.
Why do you think the judges were impressed with your entry? Tell us about what is innovative about your project and/or about its impact on packaging sustainability.
I believe the judges recognized RAWS as an innovation that doesn’t just promise a future solution, it delivers a practical one today. We now know, through mounting scientific evidence, that microplastics are a pressing global health and environmental issue. Yet most technologies either remain at lab scale, require new infrastructure, or only work in ideal conditions.
RAWS stands apart because it is a drop-in formula, used at just 1% with no changes to existing equipment or supply chains; targets plastics that will never be recycled, which make up the majority of global plastic waste; and third-party, ISO-certified testing confirms RAWS-enabled PE, PP, and PET fully biodegrade in aerobic and anaerobic environments with no microplastics left behind.
In short, RAWS impressed because it combines scientific credibility with real-world practicality. It gives the packaging industry a way to address the microplastic crisis now, not decades from now, while still meeting performance, cost, and infrastructure realities.
Finally, can you tell us about the ongoing development of your project, e.g. how your innovation/initiative has been received by the industry, or what the next steps are in commercialization/product development?
Industry reception to RAWS has been exceptionally strong as it provides a practical, science-backed answer to the microplastic crisis. We are no longer in theory or pilot mode, RAWS is already being trialled at scale with some of the largest players in global packaging.
A major global CPG company is actively testing RAWS in BOPP multilayer films for snack packaging, and mulch PE films are undergoing testing in partnership with the Chinese government. A leading diaper manufacturer is currently testing RAWS in non-woven PP applications, and converters in South America are running trials of RAWS-enabled PP and PE products at the region’s only ILAC-accredited biodegradation laboratory.
This momentum demonstrates that RAWS is not just innovative, it is being embraced by industry leaders across continents as a practical solution that can be implemented today.
The winners of the Sustainability Awards 2025 will be announced at the Sustainable Packaging Summit, taking place in Utrecht on 10-12 November. The Summit mobilizes leaders of the FMCG value chain, policymakers, NGOs, recyclers and investors to collaborate, remove barriers and identify opportunities on the road to sustainable transformation.
To learn more or register, visit: https://www.packagingsummit.earth/2025
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