The world's first biodegradable water bottle has been launched by an innovative California company.

The water bottles developed by Cove are plastic-free, biodegradable, renewable, non-toxic, and compostable and are made with a sustainably sourced, naturally occurring, biopolymer called polyhydroxyalkanoate (PHA).

PHA is produced by microorganisms through a fermentation process, similar to how beer or yogurt is made and the microorganisms occur all over the world in the natural environment, including in soil, fresh water, and marine locations. Ultimately PHA biodegrades - breaking down without producing any toxic waste.

As a material that is truly biodegradable, rather than compostable, it provides nutrients for microorganisms found in nature. A biodegradable material will disappear in a relatively short period of time leaving no invisible microplastics or harmful substances behind.

Cove says that most products labelled compostable are made from synthetic materials requiring industrial composting to begin breaking down. As a result, many products labelled compostable are not also biodegradable.

Cove bottles biodegrade at a rate similar to cellulose, which is the building block of plant life, and the primary component of paper. Based on preliminary research, it is estimated that the bottles take up to five years to be fully broken down by microorganisms in a natural environment and as quickly as one month in industrial composting.

"Plastic water bottles have become the emblem of our modern pollution crisis," said Alex Totterman, founder and chief executive of Cove. "By bringing a truly biodegradable alternative to plastic to customers and the industry as a whole we can begin to reduce plastic waste in our communities."

The ink on Cove bottles is also biodegradable and has been created by biomaterial company Living Ink. The company produces ink using a by-product called algae black, which is derived from algae production for the food and beverage sector. This replaces the usual carbon ink pigment which is derived from fossil fuels.

"Plastic pollution is in need of real solutions," said Jon Shulkin, partner and co-president of Valor Equity Partners, a company that has invested in Cove. "We are extremely grateful to have partnered with Cove and led multiple financing rounds to support the company vision for solving the plastic water bottle problem.

"We believe Cove has the potential to bring meaningful change to the consumer packaging sector."