A 3D-printing company has reportedly developed a biodegradable filament — the plastic with a string-like structure extruded when printing objects — in what the company calls the first commercially available of its kind.

Fillamentum is the company behind the biodegradable filament called NonOilen, which is composed of a blend of biologically based polylactic acid and polyhydroxy butyrate.

Source: Fillamentum

Calling the filament the first biodegradable 3D-printed plastic on the market, Fillamentum suggests that the material is food safe and could be used in the making of 3D-printed cutlery, plates and cups.

According to the company, the NonOilen will reportedly break down faster than standard PLA plastic and is potentially compostable in biologically active systems. Additionally, the material is also recyclable.