Conference Speakers

Mahya Wood

Technical Sales Officer, Normec OWS

BIOGRAPHY

Mahya Wood is proud to serve as Technical Sales Officer with Normec OWS. Her focus is on helping companies across the entire supply chain to differentiate their products as better for the environment.

Mahya possesses a bachelor’s degree in biology from the University of Illinois and a master’s degree in resource ecosystem management from the University of Michigan. Mahya has served in a variety of roles within her 20 + year career in the testing, inspection, certification, and conformance (TICC) industry. Those roles have included working as an analytical chemist testing water and dietary supplement samples, working as a toxicologist reviewing chemicals for persistence, ecotoxicity, and bioaccumulation parameters, as well as human health characteristics in support of the US EPAs Safer Choice program for cleaning products. Most recently she has leveraged her technical background to support program management and sales efforts within the TICC space helping companies with compostability testing, LCAs, and consulting services at Normec OWS. In her personal life, she is married to her high school sweetheart and is a mother of three children who all enjoy spending time in nature from glamping to backpacking in the beautiful state of Michigan and beyond!

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Biodegradability: An Essential Add-on or Alternative to Plastic-free Wipes?

In the pursuit of a more sustainable road for different plastics products, the environmental impact of plastic-containing wipes has attracted global attention. Despite being praised for their convenience by parents and other users globally, wipes frequently end up polluting natural environments, such as hiking trails or waterways when flushed, leading to persistent microplastics. A UK survey alarmingly found around 20 wet wipes per 100 meters of beach, urging forthcoming legislation to ban plastic-containing wet wipes.

Yet, the question remains: is simply eliminating plastic enough? Can biodegradation serve as an effective alternative or essential enhancement for wipes? Normec OWS, leveraging 35 years of experience in degradation and toxicity testing of materials, will illustrate how biodegradation ensures the non-persistency of these materials in the environments avoiding microplastics. Drawing on extensive experience in the (wet) wipes sector, we will take a deep-dive in the existing challenges and potential solutions with regards to testing and complying to norms and standards.

Join us as we explore how integrating advanced biodegradation testing early in product development will drive innovation and sustainability, ensuring that biodegradable and/or compostable products meet the highest environmental standards needed to safeguard our future.