Staying ahead of the technology curve means strengthening your competitive advantage. That is why we give you data-driven innovation insights into the materials industry. This time, you get to discover 5 hand-picked startups developing biocomposites.
Out of 90, the Global Startup Heat Map highlights 5 Top Innovative Biocomposites
The insights of this data-driven analysis are derived from the Big Data & Artificial Intelligence-powered StartUs Insights Discovery Platform, covering 2 093 000+ startups & scaleups globally. The platform gives you an exhaustive overview of emerging technologies & relevant startups within a specific field in just a few clicks.
The Global Startup Heat Map below reveals the distribution of the 90 exemplary startups & scaleups we analyzed for this research. Further, it highlights 5 materials startups that we hand-picked based on criteria such as founding year, location, funding raised, and more. You get to explore the solutions of these 5 startups & scaleups in this report. For insights on the other 85 biocomposites solutions, get in touch.
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Craft Composite provides Natural Fiber Reinforced Composites
The need for biocomposites and other biomaterials surface due to the concerns over increasing environmental pollution due to petrochemical-based materials productions. Recent advancements in the field also reduce manufacturing costs while improving the material strength of biocomposites. Consequently, manufacturing companies now integrate biocomposites that readily replace conventional material choices.
Craft Composite is a Turkish startup that offers natural fiber-reinforced composites for the automotive, defense, and aerospace sectors. The startup provides end-to-end product development that includes 3D modeling, product design, prototyping, and alternative material production. This allows companies to replace conventional synthetic fibers without losing the original material properties at lower costs as well as speed up the time-to-market.
Plafco Fibertech develops a Plastic Substitute
Composite packaging finds use across industries due to its lightweight nature and high strength. However, this causes significant damage to the environment and human life since most of them reach landfills and pollute the ecosystem. To curb this, startups develop sustainable composites. Such materials avoid the use of synthetic chemicals that may break down into harmful substances.
Finnish startup Plafco Fibertech provides PLAFCO, a plastic substitute for use in single-use products such as plastic drinking straws and wrapping. The startup’s proprietary technology dissolves cellulose from raw paper and uses it as the binding agent, thus converting raw paper into PLAFCO while avoiding chemical usage. This, in turn, allows companies to replace multilayer paper packaging with more stiff and wet-resistant single layer PLAFCO. Plafco Fibertech’s sustainable material is also available as multi-layered products with PLAFCO, paper, or polythene (PE), among others, based on customer requirements.
Invalt offers Bio-based Composites
Synthetic composites have a high carbon footprint due to the use of fossil-fuel-based resin as well as contribute to environmental pollution. At the same time, biocomposites utilize renewable sources, are low-cost, and, in certain cases, completely recyclable. This is why startups provide bio-based composites that further reduce the carbon footprint of final products.
Invalt is an Australian startup that develops bio-based composites for applications in textiles, construction, automotive, marine, and sports. The startup uses agricultural waste streams to create composites that outperform fiberglass, nylon, and carbon fiber. This enables manufacturers to use sustainable materials in production and thus reduce the carbon footprint. Invalt’s product line includes hemp/cotton fiber, banana/bamboo fiber, and hemp/bamboo fiber.
Agrona provides Green Composites
Polymer matrix composites generate hazardous air pollutants during curing and solid wastes upon expiration. This significantly impacts human health as well as land and marine ecosystems. To tackle this, startups offer environmentally friendly biocomposites. For example, some startups develop biodegradable materials. Such materials are easy to dispose of, especially in households, thus reducing health risks.
Agrona is an Egyptian startup that provides green composites to manufacture chipboards. The startup’s products allow construction companies and furniture manufacturers to replace synthetic resin-based particleboards with eco-friendly alternatives. Agrona’s chipboards come in 1220x2440mm dimensions with varying thicknesses, from 6mm to 24mm, for varying applications.
Canadian Industrial Hemp Corporation develops Biocomposite Plastic Pellets
Synthetic fibers used for developing composites are expensive and not eco-friendly. On the contrary, natural fiber-reinforced composites offer better mechanical properties than conventional composites while being sustainable and economical. As a result, manufacturers now prefer biocomposites that offer a higher value as raw materials and also improve product quality.
Canadian startup Canadian Industrial Hemp Corporation (CIHC) produces hemp fiber biocomposite plastic pellets. The startup’s patent-pending solution uses byproducts of flax and hemp farming to make fibers that blend with polymers and then process them into pellets. This enables plastic manufacturers to replace talc, glass fiber, and other fossil-fuel-derived materials with carbon-sequestering plant materials. Simultaneously, CIHC’s pellets reduce manufacturing costs and improve product quality while reducing the carbon footprint.
Discover more Materials Startups
Materials startups such as the examples highlighted in this report focus on plastic alternatives, bio-based materials, and sustainable materials. While all of these technologies play a major role in advancing the materials industry, they only represent the tip of the iceberg. To explore more materials technologies, simply get in touch to let us look into your areas of interest. For a more general overview, you can download our free Materials Innovation Report to save your time and improve strategic decision-making.
