PALGAE

We make biodegradable film from algae and turn it into the two formats that leak into nature the most: retail carrier bags and e-commerce mailers. It runs on the blown-film and bag-making lines converters already own. No retooling, no new capex, which is where most bio-materials lose the deal. Our feedstock is seaweed and microalgae: no farmland, no freshwater, no fertiliser, and it captures carbon while it grows. We grow ours on nutrient-rich effluent from food and agriculture plants, so making the material cleans water instead of consuming it. One tonne replacing LDPE avoids ~13 tonnes of CO2 and 6,000 litres of water. The bag breaks down in about 250 days and leaves nitrogen and carbon in the soil, not microplastics. We proved the material with Faber-Castell and Adel, have two more corporate pilots running, and are shipping our first commercial orders.