The world’s dirtiest material may have just met its molecular match.

In a stunning breakthrough, scientists have unveiled a new enzymatic recycling method that turns plastic’s worst traits into profit-generating advantages—and it all hinges on a single, brilliantly simple chemical switch.

Led by researchers from the U.S. Department of Energy’s National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL), the University of Massachusetts Lowell, and the University of Portsmouth, the new process promises to break down PET—the world’s most-used plastic—faster, cheaper, and cleaner than ever before. Forget decades of hype around theoretical recycling utopias. This one actually works.

The secret? Replacing sodium hydroxide with ammonium hydroxide.

That single swap reduces chemical use by 99%, slashes energy demands by 65%, and cuts operating costs by nearly 75%. Suddenly, turning plastic waste into usable material doesn’t just make environmental sense—it makes economic sense. Recycled PET now costs less than virgin plastic.

It’s a chemical coup.

The big win here isn’t just in the lab—it’s in the ledger. Enzymatic recycling has long promised cleaner solutions but couldn’t compete with the dirt-cheap economics of oil-based plastics. Until now. This tweak—subtle but genius—creates a self-sustaining loop, recycling its own key chemicals as it breaks down even the most problematic plastic: thermoforms, colored containers, and synthetic fibers that mechanical recycling can’t touch.

Better still, the new process enhances plastic pre-treatment, accelerates depolymerization, and boosts ethylene glycol recovery—all with a cost structure that undercuts the oil industry’s golden goose.

“This is the first time enzymatic recycling of PET has looked not just better, but profitable,” said Professor Andrew Pickford of the University of Portsmouth. “And that changes everything.”

Think about it: a single retooling of the chemical base turned a niche scientific curiosity into a closed-loop industrial contender. It’s no longer just about recycling—it’s about rewriting the economics of plastic itself.

The tech isn’t at industrial scale yet, but the blueprint is there—and the implications are massive. Imagine a world where recycling plants don’t limp along as public service infrastructure, but run as profit engines. Where the dirtiest streams of plastic waste become feedstock for clean, efficient, cost-effective manufacturing.

This isn’t just solving plastic’s footprint. It’s solving its business model.

And it all started with one bold chemical pivot.