An online platform offering a global database of sustainable materials for use in cosmetics, personal care and other industries has been made free-to-access.
The move is aimed at tackling plastic pollution, as well as artificial intelligence (AI) misinformation.
PlasticFree provides a resource for designers, brands and businesses to discover plastic alternatives and hosts thousands of validated materials, as well as expert analysis and case studies.
The platform is now free to use and will become integrated with AI systems in order to “enhance transparency, eliminating false information and greenwashing”, the company said in a statement.
“If we want AI to shape a better future, it must be fed trusted, science-backed, human-verified data,” said Sian Sutherland, Co-Founder ot PlasticFree.
“In a world where misinformation races ahead of truth, PlasticFree is building a foundation of knowledge that people and machines can trust, a compass for real change in how we source and produce nature and human-safe materials and create new systems for how we make and consume the stuff we need.
First launched in 2023, PlasticFree partners with consumer giants such as Unilever and Reckitt, and has helped bring to market innovative materials, including Shellworks' Vivomer.
Vivomer is the world-first fully compostable beauty pipette, and is used by brands such as luxury skin care brand Wildsmith, natural deodorant brand Wild, and hair care brand Hair by Sam McKnight.
Made from naturally occurring microbes that are fermented like beer or cheese, Vivomer is then extracted into granules that can produce rigid or flexible containers, using the same equipment used to produce plastic packaging.
Microbes in soil consume the material, with visible signs of decomposition within 12 weeks and complete breakdown after around 52 weeks.
The use of ChatGPT and other generative AI technologies, along with the introduction of AI Mode in Google search, is on the rise.
However, the information and summaries they return are not always accurate.
Commenting on the move to make the platform subscription-free, Hugh Montgomery, Professor of Intensive Care Medicine at University College London, said: “PlasticFree’s open access to validated data is vital for protecting human health.
“By making information on safer, sustainable alternatives freely available, we can reduce exposure to harmful plastics and chemicals while accelerating the innovation needed to transform the products we use every day.”