Highlighting the monumental announcements that make us Smart Plastic. From our unique strategic partnerships and product developments, to our ever-expanding expert team, view our company news below.
U.S. Patent No. 12,668,672 includes issued claims directed to specific SPTek ECLIPSE® master batch formulations, moving Smart Plastic from patent-pending to patent-protected.
CHICAGO, Ill. (July 14, 2026) — Smart Plastic Technologies, LLC today announced that the United States Patent and Trademark Office has issued U.S. Patent No. 12,668,672 B2, “Bio-Assimilation Master Batch Composition, Processes for Producing Polymeric Bio-Assimilating Material Therefrom, and Products Produced Therefrom.” The issued claims are directed to specific SPTek ECLIPSE® master batch formulations for polyolefin applications, including formulations designed for approximately 18-month and 24-month functional-life use cases. The patent marks an important transition from patent-pending to issued-patent status for Smart Plastic’s SPTek ECLIPSE® technology platform. The newly issued patent is part of a broader Smart Plastic patent portfolio strategy, which includes pending continuation and continuation-in-part applications directed to additional aspects of the SPTek ECLIPSE® technology platform.
For a plastics industry crowded with companies claiming similar end-of-life solutions, an issued U.S. patent provides a concrete, publicly reviewable milestone. The issued claims are directed to specific SPTek ECLIPSE® master batch formulations and were allowed after examination against cited prior art, including references relating to microorganism colonization of plastics and biodegradation testing. Smart Plastic separately supports its performance claims through technical testing, including ASTM D5526 and D6954-based work.
“An issued patent is an important milestone for Smart Plastic and for SPTek ECLIPSE®,” said Yaman Peksenar, Director of Science & Technology at Smart Plastic Technologies. “After a multi-year USPTO examination, we now have issued claims to specific master batch chemistries that are central to our SPTek ECLIPSE® platform. Combined with our technical testing program, which is third-party validated, this gives manufacturers and brand owners a clearer basis to evaluate the technology.”
SmartPlastic’s SPTek ECLIPSE® transforms conventional polyethylene and polypropylene — resin Types 2, 4, and 5 — into materials that, as supported by Smart Plastic's functional testing, promote bio-assimilation at the end of their intended functional life, supporting breakdown into CO2, water, and biomass rather than fragmenting into microplastics. The newly issued patent’s claims cover master batch formulations tuned to specific functional lifespans — from a formulation built on HDPE/LLDPE blends designed for about 18 months of use in flexible packaging, to a polypropylene formulation designed for about 24 months of use in rigid, food-contact applications such as consumer tableware. The issued claims recite a 1% inclusion rate for the approximately 18-month formulation and a 1.5% inclusion rate for the approximately 24-month polypropylene formulation, while Smart Plastic separately evaluates recyclability and food-contact suitability for applicable products.
“Our manufacturing partners ask us the same question in every first meeting: is this real or is it another pending application dressed up as a solution?” said Robin Misir, Vice President of Operations at Smart Plastic Technologies. “Now the answer includes an issued U.S. patent number they can review themselves, alongside Smart Plastic’s technical data. That changes the conversation with converters and brand owners who’ve been sitting on the sidelines waiting for exactly this kind of issued-patent milestone and technical documentation before they commit a production line to SPTek ECLIPSE®.”
SmartPlastic is pairing the announcement with a renewed push for the Smart Standard™, the company’s proposed end-of-life disposal and labeling framework for bio-assimilating plastics. The company argues that conventional recycling captures only about 9% of plastic waste and that industrial composting requires infrastructure most communities do not have, leaving polyolefin packaging with no realistic end-of-life path today. Smart Plastic is inviting brand owners, converters, and regulators to review the Smart Standard alongside the newly issued patent documentation at changetheplastic.com.
SmartPlastic Technologies LLC, a certified B Corporation, is based in Wheeling, Illinois. Founded in 2016, the company is revolutionizing the potential of plastic to improve the environment for future generations. Its flagship bio-assimilation technology, SPTek ECLIPSE®, is supported by U.S. Patent No. 12,668,672 and is designed to help selected polyethylene and polypropylene applications undergo bio-assimilation after the article’s intended useful life, with the goal of reducing persistent plastic fragments. Smart Plastic’s mission is to prevent persistent microplastic pollution in everyday packaging solutions. This represents a key and critical aspect of the company’s commitment to plastic lifecycle management. Smart Plastic works with manufacturing partners to evaluate product-specific performance, recyclability, and applicable regulatory requirements. All Smart Plastic technologies are designed to alter the very nature of plastic for the benefit of both people and the planet. Proudly made in the United States, all Smart Plastic products are 100% recyclable pre-activation, FDA compliant, and purposely designed for the circular and regenerative economies. Learn more at www.changetheplastic.com
Tim Murtaugh founded Smart Plastic Technologies on the belief that plastic did not have to become permanent pollution. He gave that belief a company, a science, and a team willing to fight for it.
Tim passed away suddenly on March 17, 2026.
There are founders who build companies, and there are founders who build cultures. Tim understood that the two are not separate projects. He knew that a mission as serious as changing how the world thinks about plastic would require more than good science. It would require people who trusted each other, who could disagree with respect and civility, and who came back the next morning ready to try again.
That is the company he built. And that is the company that will carry his work forward.
Tim was a serial entrepreneur. He grew up in upstate New York and spent a good part of his childhood in foster homes. He knew adversity, and it was likely in this crucible that his unquenchable fire for life and people was born. He knew he was meant to do important work, and he did, founding a beloved non-profit ministry for boys and a successful real estate development company, among others.
Tim was not interested in noise. He believed in precision: in claims that could be defended, in science that could be verified, in promises to customers and investors that could actually be kept. He pushed the team not to be louder, but to be more honest and more rigorous. In a market full of easy shortcuts and greenwashed language, that discipline was his signature.
He mentored the people around him without making it feel like mentorship. He asked questions when most leaders would have given answers. He listened when most people would have moved on. He was tough when he needed to be but always fair, with a ready smile and a bright outlook. He was a glass half full kind of guy.
The mission he founded Smart Plastic Technologies to pursue has not changed. If anything, it matters more now. We will honor him by seeing it through.
To Tim’s family:
We are grateful for every minute he gave to this team and to this work, and we are profoundly sorry for your loss. Tim’s name and his way of leading will remain a part of us and of this company for as long as it stands.
The Smart Plastic Technologies Team
March 2026
For over 70 years, plastic hasn't evolved. Now, with SPTek ECLIPSE™, Smart Plastic Technologies has introduced a 1% drop-in additive for polyolefins that preserves performance and processing, stays compatible with recycling pre-activation, and adds an end-of-life safety net.
Click here to see our latest video describing how SPTek ECLIPSE™ is The Last Plastic.
https://youtu.be/yvTYkC4nL_8?si=c8GWqlhzGzuY2jXZ
This is a plastic bag. Simple. Useful. Disposable. And part of the 400 million tons of plastic produced every year.
Globally, less than 10% is recycled — polluting our land and water… our food supply… even our bodies. So, we created a failsafe for when plastic ends up in our environment.It’s called Smart Plastic – and it’s designed to disappear on purpose.Here’s how it works: Our SPTek ECLIPSE™ additive gives plastic a functional life span.
180 days… 24 months… 7 years… Manufacturers decide based on the product — with no changes to machinery, no new equipment, no disruption.
When a product’s useful life is over — whether it ends up in sunlight, soil, landfill, or ocean, heat and humidity trigger the programmed transformation.
Long polymer chains fracture into shorter segments. But unlike other so-called “degradables” that leave behind microplastics, Smart Plastic keeps going… reducing segments to a size small enough for microbes to recognize as food… converting the plastic into water… CO₂… and biomass — the same material all living organisms are made from. No toxins. No microplastics. No greenwashing.
And this isn’t just theory. We’re proving it every day.
We’re adding ECLIPSE™ to industrial stretch film… medical device packaging and surgical gowns… agricultural mulch film… food packaging and straws… and the grocery bags holding your produce. And that’s just the beginning. Plastic hasn’t evolved in 70 years. Now is the time. Across industries and applications, Smart Plastic is reshaping what plastic can be.Proven chemistry. Predictable performance. A cleaner planet.
This is the new Smart Standard™. SPTek ECLIPSE™ by Smart Plastic. Plastic that Disappears on Purpose. changetheplastic.com
"Occasionally, as we tread through life, we are blessed with the opportunity to meet someone who is truly exceptional. I had the pleasure of the gift of Dave Hale’s friendship. Not just a man, Dave was a giant when it came to caring about others. From neighbors to co-workers and employees, Dave’s instinctive mission was to make things better for others. Humble philanthropist, creative thinker, hard worker, ethical friend. What more can I say? He will be greatly missed." — Tim Murtaugh, CEO, Smart Plastic
PFNonwovens’ new Eclipse® technology by Smart Plastic renders polyolefin-based nonwovens degradable.
Headquartered in Prague, Czech Republic, PFNonwovens has been a leading global producer and innovator of customized spunmelt nonwoven fabrics for decades. This INDA member manufactures nonwovens for use in the personal hygiene market such as baby diapers, adult incontinence and feminine hygiene products and wipes. PFN also supplies construction, agricultural and medical applications.
"Our tradition of innovation is continuing today with the development of a sustainable solutions platform to improve end-of-non-woven product life," said Tonny de Beer, Chief Technology & Sustainability Officer for PFN.
PFN’s product advances include carbon footprint optimization and carbon footprint modeling. One example of these advances is our end-of-non-woven product life breakthrough innovation based on Smart Plastic's SPTek ECLIPSE™ bio-assimilation technology, which renders polyolefin based nonwovens degradable. Smart Plastic Technologies confirms that ECLIPSE™ is backed by the world’s first C-13 carbon labeling bio-assimilation test, which definitively demonstrated the transfer of carbon from an ECLIPSE™-enabled polyolefin film into the cell walls of microorganisms, creating biomass.
This joint venture in collaboration with Smart Plastic Technologies is progressing rapidly. Nonwoven manufacturing process validation steps including masterbatch addition and formula optimization have been successfully demonstrated. Accelerated aging tests of the ECLIPSE™-enabled nonwovens showed the desired rapid disintegration (e.g., polymer molecular weight reduction) profiles of the PP based material. Followup bio-assimilation tests, including microbial consumption resulting in water, small amounts of carbon dioxide, and biomass as final products at specific conditions simulating various end-of-product life environments (e.g. terrestrial, marine, etc.), are currently underway.
Finally, PFN’s robust corporate environmental sustainability program, which is centered around emissions and waste reduction, contributes to further reduce PFN’s impact on the environment. For example, 100% green electricity is now used at all the company’s manufacturing sites in the Czech Republic.
(This article originally appeared on the INDA website and is republished here in its entirety with permission).
Through our unique partnership, Smart Plastic and Munchkin® are changing plastic. Munchkin products and packaging using Smart Plastic's ECLIPSE™ technology will disappear from the Earth, leaving zero plastic waste.
We couldn't contain our smiles all around when we recently read about our ECLIPSE™ technology being featured in Munchkin's sustainability report. Our partnership with Munchkin is unique, and it is changing plastic for the better — for a brighter future on our "Big Blue Marble." Munchkin CEO Steven Dunn says it best in his opening letter:
"Big changes begin with baby steps. But let’s cut to the chase; we’re way past learning to walk. When I began Munchkin 32 years ago, I had a goal of simplifying parenting by inventing smart, reliable products. This promise still holds true today, but it has added weight. Our newest innovations look beyond immediate usage and focus on long-term environmental sustainability to support a 360 world. It’s not complicated. We invest in our children’s future, just as parents do each day. Kids grow fast, so we need to work faster. Our ongoing commitment to the United Nations Global Compact (the world’s largest corporate sustainability initiative) and our recent announcement with Smart Plastic Technologies reinforce the actions we are taking to preserve our children’s playground. Concerned about greenwashing? So are we. This report does more than make promises. It is packed with the actions we are making to change the world today." —STEVEN B. DUNN, CEO & Founder, Munchkin Inc.
We couldn't agree more.
You may read the entire report here: https://www.munchkin.com/media/Munchkin_Sustainability_Report_2022.pdf
We recently heard from Highlight Industries who completed a comparison test between traditional Stretch Film and SPTek ECLIPSE™ Stretch Film. See what they had to say!
We pride ourselves on developing products that have all the beneficial properties of plastic without the added environmental damage. It’s essential that our products live up to not only our own customers’ standards – but also to their customers’ standards as well.We recently received the following testimonial from one of our customers and couldn't be more thrilled to hear it.
Highlight Industries:
“Highlight recently conducted comparative lab and load stability tests on two high-performance commercial stretch films, one made with Smart Plastic's SPTek ECLIPSE™ bio-assimilation technology and another without the additive. All tests performed yielded statistically equivalent results, with no noticeable difference in the excellent performance properties of the commercial film, with or without the ECLIPSE™ additive. These results are all the more impressive considering the ECLIPSE™ content will reportedly render the stretch film capable of complete bio-assimilation. This is a real win for green technology in the stretch film industry.”
Smart Plastic Technologies has been working with LMPE since 2016 to conduct research and develop SPTek products. This technical partnership is integral to our work and company growth.
At Smart Plastic our partnerships are a fundamental support mechanism for our business. We are thrilled to highlight a key technical partner that we have been working with since the beginning to create and irrevocably prove our ECLIPSE™ technology - LMPE, an eco-compatible polymeric materials laboratory based in Lucca, Italy.
Together with LMPE, Pisa University, CNR Laboratories, and other university bio-science labs, we designed and conducted the first-ever C-13 test to determine bio-assimilation in ECLIPSE™-enabled plastic. This bio-assimilation test conclusively tracks the origin of carbon within a closed environment using Carbon-13.
The methodology of the C-13 carbon labeling test is quite simple, it took degraded ECLIPSE™ material and fed it to a colony of microorganisms in order to prove bio-assimilation. To track the amount of carbon given off during the test and the growth of the colony, proving bio-assimilation, the researchers used carbon labeling with Carbon-13 atoms. The carbon labeling showed that the locked hydro-carbon chains in the plastic broke down to an open carbon source which the colony of microorganisms could use as a fuel source, breaking the material down completely with no microplastics left.
Wikipedia describes carbon labeling as such:
Carbon labeling is a form of isotopic labeling where a carbon-12 atom has been replaced with either a carbon-13 atom or a carbon-14 atom in a chemical compound so as to 'tag' that position of the compound to assist in determining the way a chemical reaction proceeds.
We began working with LMPE in 2016 to conclusively prove our revolutionary ECLIPSE™ technology. We are delighted that such a reputable laboratory is one of our technical partners and we look forward to working with LMPE as we continue to better plastic for the future of our planet and its inhabitants.
About LMPE
LMPE (Ecosustainable Polymeric Materials Laboratory) srl Benefit Company is an Italian Innovative Start-up and is an affiliated Spin-off to INSTMThe National Inter-University Consortium of Materials Science and Technology. LMPE’s mission is aimed at the research & development of materials, processes, and technologies in the field of polymeric materials, and semi-finished and eco-friendly finished products.
Understanding the importance of the circular economy, LMPE is a member of the ICESP (Italian Circular Economy Stakeholder Platform). LMPE uses a set of modern equipment in collaboration with the INSTM Consortium and the Department of Chemistry and Industrial Chemistry of the Pisa University.
The following tests are completed at LMPE:
This year’s Earth Day theme is ‘Invest in our Planet’. Read how we're prioritizing the future of our planet through various initiatives below.
While the first Earth Day was hosted in 1970, it was not recognized worldwide for another 20 years. Now 32 years since Earth Day went global, more than a billion people mark the day to show support for the continual protection of our planet and its inhabitants.
Earth Day calls upon individuals, governments, organizations, and all sizes of companies, to reflect on the ways they impact our planet and its hundreds of ecosystems. At Smart Plastic we grasp and actively invest in the future of our planet every day.
We’re investing in our planet so future generations of people and creatures can thrive in a flourishing and healthy world.
While protecting and maximizing the shelf life of produce is critical to our food system, we must care for the environment as well.
In an increasingly globalized food economy, the use of plastic packaging for fresh fruits and vegetables is now commonplace. Produce is particularly fragile and susceptible to heat and moisture, resulting in a short shelf life. While additional packaging protects against microbial contamination during distribution and reduces spoilage and waste, it inevitably introduces a significant amount of plastic into the environment.
ECLIPSE™ solves this problem.
While maintaining 100% recyclability, our SPTek ECLIPSE™ bio-assimilation additiveensures that any plastic that escapes the recycling system will rapidly and naturally biodegrade in both terrestrial and marine environments. With a completely customizable useful-life performance, packaging infused with ECLIPSE™ will effectively complete its function while reducing the environmental impact of plastic. With a simple 1% inclusion rate in the production process, ECLIPSE™ is ASTM 5526 and 6954 certified and FDA approved.
This sustainable polymer additive has a wide range of fresh fruit and vegetable packaging applications, including but not limited to:
Additionally, ECLIPSE™ can be stacked with other Smart Plastic additives, including GARD™ antimicrobial and SERVO™ antifungal, maximizing the protection of fruits, vegetables and the environment.
