Danimer Scientific, a bioplastics company, and Live Oak Acquisition Corp., a publicly traded special purpose acquisition company, announced a definitive agreement for a business combination that would result in Danimer Scientific becoming a public company. Upon closing of the transaction, the combined company will be renamed Danimer Scientific and is expected to remain listed on the NYSE under a new ticker symbol. Danimer will continue to be led by Stephen E. Croskrey, Danimer’s current chief executive officer.

Danimer Scientific’s signature polymer, Nodax PHA (polyhydroxyalkanoate), is a 100% biodegradable, renewable and sustainable plastic produced using canola oil as a primary feedstock. Nodax PHA is reportedly the first PHA polymer to be certified as marine degradable, the highest standard of biodegradability, which verifies the material will fully degrade in ocean water without leaving behind harmful microplastics.

“We are excited to partner with Live Oak and transition Danimer to be a public company,” says Croskrey. “We are at an inflection point in our growth trajectory and this transaction will fuel the next phase of our rapid commercial expansion. Our research-based approach to creating environmentally responsible solutions has attracted a blue chip, multinational customer base and our partnership with Live Oak will allow us to further scale production up to meet strong customer demand for our technology. We believe PHA has the ability to eliminate the pollution caused by single use plastics worldwide, a potentially remarkable achievement. We are well positioned to further expand our 100% biodegradable products to a wide range of plastic and specialty applications, with a long runway for profitable global growth.”

Rick Hendrix, chief executive officer of Live Oak, says, “Danimer represents a unique and compelling investment opportunity with take-or-pay contracted revenue from a blue-chip client base for fully bio-degradable plastic resin that addresses one of the world’s most significant environmental challenges. PHA adoption is benefiting from powerful tailwinds as the result of wide-spread corporate commitments and evolving consumer preferences for eco-friendly packaging solutions that address the worldwide problem of plastic waste.  We believe Danimer is poised for rapid and sustained growth with a fully financed capacity expansion plan and proprietary customer applications.”

Visit www.danimerscientific.com and https://www.liveoakacq.com/ for more information.