The innovative material is made of residues from processing grain. Of note is that this alternative to plastic is 100 percent biodegradable under natural composting conditions — within a record time of two to twelve weeks depending on thickness, the founders promise. As the name Traceless suggests, this is a solution that leaves no harmful traces behind.

New dimension in production

Investors, too, are convinced that the start-up has a successful future. In a large-scale financing round in September 2023, the young entrepreneurs secured 36.6 million euros, marking a milestone expected to usher in a breakthrough. With more than 50 employees at present, the Traceless team is still producing small volumes of its granulate at an initial pilot plant in Buchholz. That should now change, as funding flows into the first industrial-scale facility in Hamburg. The project is also receiving subsidies of more than five million euros from the German Federal Ministry for the Environment, Nature Conservation, Nuclear Safety and Consumer Protection (BMUV). Construction began in 2024. And mass production of the patent-pending bio-based material is scheduled to start in 2025.

The new plant will produce several thousand tons of the granulate annually. Carbon emissions and fossil fuel requirements will be 90 percent lower than those for conventional plastic production. This opens new horizons for the founders in attaining their goal of widespread replacement of plastic materials. “By scaling up our innovative technology, we’re demonstrating that it’s possible for the industry to be climate-friendly, circular, resilient, and regenerative,” says Dr. Lamp. “Our innovative bio-based material can make a substantial contribution to solving the problem of plastic waste.”

Combining innovation and scale

The bio-based granulate has a wide range of applications. It can be processed into flexible wraps as well as coatings, adhesives, and rigid molded components. Examples include single-use products such as drinking straws, ice cream spoons, and disposable tableware, as well as packaging for fruit, vegetables, and shipped goods. In parallel to ramping up production, the company and its partners are also developing pilot products made of Traceless materials. Early on, Traceless began working with the Otto e-commerce corporation to develop non-plastic packaging. Together with Lufthansa, the start-up is designing more environmentally friendly on-board food packaging and disposable cutlery. And since 2022, the C&A apparel manufacturer has been successfully testing clothes hangers made from the bio-based material.

In June 2024, Traceless launched a strategic partnership with Mondi, a global leader in the packaging and paper production sector. Their shared aim is to advance large-scale applications for the Traceless granulate as solutions for paper coatings. Conventional paper coatings often use synthetic plastics to enhance sealant and barrier properties. These coatings are generally made of non-renewable fossil resources and are not biodegradable under industrial composting conditions. As Dr. Lamp explains, “Our collaboration with Mondi is more than a partnership. It’s a high-powered combination of innovation and scale. Together we’re seeking to change the paper coatings sector by using our Traceless alternatives at a scale that only a company like Mondi can achieve. This is a major step toward a sustainable future in which our material will become the standard in everyday products.”

Another Traceless product, namely French-fry pickers, could be experienced first-hand by attendees of the Labor Tempelhof concert series in Berlin in August 2024. The pickers were developed in close cooperation with GTB Gastro Team Bremen, a catering service provider and member of Aramark, a leading catering and service management group.

The Traceless start-up expects industrial production to bring a substantial increase in its customer base. Its new plant will not only produce much larger volumes of the bio-based material, but also significantly lower the price. And this new plant in Hamburg is just an interim step on the road to full industrial production. “Industrial-scale production will make us competitive in terms of price,” says COO Baare. “Step by step, we’ll be able to close the price gap between our products and conventional plastics.”