Plastic pollution has become a global environmental crisis, with millions of tons of plastic waste entering our oceans and landfills every year. To address this challenge, the concept of circularity has emerged as a guiding principle, aiming to eliminate waste and promote the continual use of resources.
In this event, we showcased the ingenuity of pioneering start-ups that are leading the charge in circular solutions for plastics and packaging: Cirplus, Vytal, Bloom, and Sykell.
Watch the full video below to learn more about their groundbreaking approaches, and explore how their solutions are reshaping the plastics and packaging industry. Together, let’s envision a future where plastics are no longer a problem, but instead, a part of a closed-loop system that benefits both the economy and the environment.
Moderation by:
Laurent-Frédéric Lohmann, Head of Investor Relations
Lara Hein, Program Director
The Start-ups
Represented by: Christian Schiller, Founder & CEO
Based In: Hamburg, Germany
What They Do:
Cirplus has embarked on a mission: to bridge the gap between buyers and sellers of plastic waste feedstock and recyclates, enhancing supply chain stability and promoting cost savings. Their innovative platform transforms the conventional; digitizing complex secondary material markets and offering a diverse array of plastic materials, from PET to HDPE and many more. What sets Cirplus apart is their commitment to sustainability and compliance. With imminent EU regulations mandating post-consumer recyclates quotas for plastic packaging, Cirplus is at the forefront, ensuring standardized data and traceability. Cirplus is transforming how we perceive and manage plastic waste in a world where digital innovation meets green transformation.
Represented by: Dr. Tim Breker, Founder
Based In: Cologne, Germany
What They Do:
Vytal is the global operating system for reusables and the software solution for circular economy. They are revolutionizing the way we handle Food & Beverages packaging waste with their innovative software solution, creating the perfect conditions for restaurants, supermarkets, caterers, canteens, and events to offer food and drinks intelligently and sustainably. Whether it’s food delivery or takeout or eat-in consumption, Vytal smart reusable containers in combination with the Vytal container management software interface enable users to say good-bye to single use globally and at scale.
Represented by: Lorenz Manker, Business Developer
Based In: Fribourg, Switzerland
What They Do:
At Bloom, they excel in deconstructing biomass. With their groundbreaking process, Bloom provides a novel, cost-competitive route to source molecules from plants. This technology is the first of its kind and offers an unprecedented alternative for many petroleum-based products. From fragrances to polyurethanes, Bloom is committed to offer tailored solutions to customers and helping companies around the Globe in reducing their carbon footprint.
Represented by: Davide Mazzanti, CEO & Co-Founder
Based In: Berlin, Germany
What They Do:
Sykell is aiming to put an end to the 390 Mt of plastic produced each year. With their Einfach Mehrweg containers, which can be reused time and time again, they are preventing millions of tons of plastic packaging from being produced and introduced to the environment. A single Einfach Mehrweg reusable package can replace hundreds of such single-use packages, reducing each person’s environmental footprint in the long term. Even more, to keep track of impact, each Einfach Mehrweg container is serialized, enabling Sykell to monitor its washing settings, return rate, and cycle duration in one simple dashboard.