Our Innovation Analysts recently looked into emerging technologies and up-and-coming startups in the packaging industry. As there is a large number of startups working on a wide variety of solutions, we decided to share our insights with you. This time, we are taking a look at 4 promising recyclable material solutions.
Heat Map: Top 4 Recyclable Material Startups
For our 4 picks of recyclable material startups, we used a data-driven startup scouting approach to identify the most relevant solutions globally. The Global Startup Heat Map below highlights 4 interesting examples out of 950 relevant solutions. Depending on your specific needs, your top picks might look entirely different.
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Bioplastic Recycling – Polylactic Acid (PLA) Upcycling
Discarded bioplastic, also known as polylactic acid (PLA), can be sorted and upcycled with technology used by startups. Bioplastic is typically used for disposable food-service products. But once it’s been upcycled it can be turned into new products that lessen reliance on traditional plastics and gives used products a “second life”. US-based Bioplastic Recycling develops an advanced sorting and recycling technology to upcycle bioplastic waste back into an advanced E-PLA resin formula. This new E-PLA has enhanced performance qualities and is compatible with most traditional plastic manufacturing equipment.
Magnomer – Magnetic Markers For Non-Recyclable Items
A very small part of all collected PET plastic bottles gets recycled back into bottles. Loose caps/closures and shrunken sleeves (bottle labels) present a technical challenge in the recycling process of bottles during segregation. This is due to the small size of these waste by-products that increase contamination. A magnetizable printed coating is a material solution created to solve this problem. US company Magnomer produces magnetizable labels, which render plastic objects completely magnetizable and enable automated separation by industrial magnetic separators. The markers are made with safe materials and can be used for food-service packaging. This technology applies to various packaging items such as bottle caps, labels, cutleries, and other small items.
BioCellection – Chemical-Engineered Materials
Scientists have developed a technology that is able to turn unrecyclable plastic waste into benign compounds, which can feed microbes that produce valuable compounds such as biosurfactants. BioCellection, a startup from California, USA, develops a proprietary chemical recycling technology that breaks down previously unrecyclable plastic into valuable base chemicals. They produce bioengineered bacteria strains that have the ability to break down plasticizers faster than it would usually take in a landfill and it works for currently unrecyclable plastics.
Pyrowave – Waste-To-Feedstock
A Waste-to-Feedstock technology recycles mixed plastic waste back to its initial constituents that can later be re-used to make virgin polymers and packaging. Canadian startup Pyrowave patented Catalytic Microwave Depolymerization (CMD) technology, which uses microwaves to perform fast de-polymerization of mixed plastics. The equipment converts mixed plastics with or without food contamination into predominantly oil containing valuable waxes and monomers that are reused to make new plastics.
What About The Other 946 Recyclable Material Solutions?
While we believe data is key to creating insights it can be easy to be overwhelmed by it. Our ambition is to create a comprehensive overview and provide actionable innovation intelligence for your Proof of Concept (PoC), partnership, or investment targets. The 4 recyclable material startups showcased above are promising examples out of 950 we analyzed for this article. To identify the most relevant solutions based on your specific criteria and collaboration strategy, get in touch.
