Traceless secures EUR 5 million to produce plastic substitute

"We need to produce our materials on an industrial scale to make a genuine contribution to solving plastic pollution and the climate crisis. The planned demonstration plant is the next step and funding is essential," said Johanna Baare, COO of Traceless. The founders accepted a cheque for their endeavour from Dr Bettina Hoffmann, Parliamentary State Secretary, in mid-May. The start-up's technology makes plastics environment-friendlier, said Hoffmann, adding: "It combines reduced resource consumption with more climate and environmental protection. This has enormous potential for the environment and for Germany as an industrial location." Around 91 per cent of CO2 emissions and 89 per cent of fossil energy could be saved over conventional plastics, Traceless said.

Plastics remain in demand due to certain properties, such as their lightweight. However, their production is based on fossil resources, such as petroleum, which is particularly energy-intense. Plastic waste causes pollution and poses a huge environmental hazard. Given this backdrop, Traceless has developed a completely biodegradable and natural alternative material. Production is based on natural polymers for which Traceless has filed a patent. The certified material is produced as granules and can be used for various end products such as films and adhesives. The founders had earlier received financial backing from Hamburg's Calls for Transfer scheme.

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