Three EIC-funded innovators offering alternatives to plastic and virgin pulp

World Environment Day on 5 June 2023 focused global attention on solutions to plastic pollution. The European Innovation Council has backed a number of small and medium enterprises that propose bio-based, recyclable or compostable materials intended to reduce reliance on fossil-based plastics and on timber for paper. Three such beneficiaries are FibriTech from Poland, Releaf Paper from France, and LAM'ON from Bulgaria. Each company positions its approach as disruptive. The claims carry potential but also practical hurdles for industrial scaling, certification, and market adoption.

Why the EIC is funding material substitution at the frontier

The EIC Accelerator supports companies with breakthrough technologies and growth potential. Funding and visibility matter for capital intensive transitions away from petroleum and virgin wood. Yet the pathway from pilot to factory requires industrial partnerships, supply chain retooling, and regulatory clarity. New materials often enter the market at a price and logistical disadvantage compared with mature petroleum-based processes. Startups therefore point to regulatory support and upfront planning as essential to accelerate systemic change.

FibriTech: 3D fibrous eco-materials from natural fibres

FibriTech, a Polish company, coordinates the EIC-funded project called Technology for 3D fibrous eco materials. The project aims to produce 3D fibre network materials using natural fibres and additives sourced from renewable, fossil-free feedstocks. The company says the resulting materials are sustainable, recyclable and biodegradable when required, and that its process can incorporate lower-quality fibres from waste and side streams.

Tomasz Ciamulski, FibriTech CEO and President, framed the company response to plastic pollution as a systemic shift. He said that FibriTech answers plastic pollution by switching to eco-material production technologies fully based on renewable bio-resources and by limiting chemical modifications to remain environmentally friendly. He described the firm as an eco-material producer whose fibrous technology can utilise all types of fibres including low quality waste to upscale their utilisation as additives in 3D fibrous structures. He added that the new production process is clean and can be powered by renewable energy, contributing to elimination of fossil-based carbon and environmental pollution.

FibriTech also warned about the structural barriers to a bio-based transition. The company said new technologies face higher initial costs and systemic disadvantage compared with established petroleum-based industries, and that regulatory support plus upfront planning are necessary for industrial scaling. FibriTech intends to apply its material to soilless agricultural substrates and protective packaging inserts.

Releaf Paper: cellulose from fallen leaves

Releaf Paper, a French company, coordinates the EIC-funded project Releaf Paper - sustainable leave. The company says it is the first producer of cellulose from fallen leaves and holds a patent for a technology that combines mechanical, chemical and thermal steps on standard equipment plus a special drying procedure. Releaf Paper claims this process yields solid, durable cellulose fibres for paper production without cutting trees and reports a 78 percent reduction in CO2 emissions compared with traditional paper.

CEO Alexander Sobolenko positions the technology as solving two problems at once. First it provides a route for sustainable disposal of urban green wastes. Second it replaces wood pulp with alternative fibres for the paper industry. He argued that this approach retains the carbon absorbed by urban vegetation in the material rather than releasing it through composting, and that cities are not charged for leaf feedstock which creates a mutually beneficial arrangement.

Releaf Paper framed EIC funding as important validation and urged stronger commercialisation pathways. The company urged brand owners and large corporations to engage because green innovations depend on commercial uptake. At the same time independent verification of lifecycle claims and the logistics of collecting, preprocessing, and scaling leaf supply remain practical questions.

LAM'ON: compostable laminating and packaging films

LAM'ON, based in Bulgaria, is coordinating the EIC-funded project FOIL'ON to develop biodegradable laminating film called LAM'ON and packaging foil PACK'ON. The company says both product lines are bio-based and industrially compostable and that its films can be processed on standard packaging machinery with minimal adjustments. LAM'ON promotes life cycle assessments that show reduced carbon footprints and publishes case studies from brand customers in packaging and retail.

Co-founder Gergana Stancheva emphasised ongoing research and development, a commitment to reduce supply chain emissions and a view that bio-based compostable foils can perform at par with conventional plastics while avoiding microplastics. She described the work as part of a broader movement to put 21st century sustainable practices in place.

LAM'ON lists customers and partners who have adopted its packaging solutions and says the films are certified bio-based and compostable. For buyers the promise is lower environmental impact without changing packaging lines. For regulators and procurement managers the questions are certification scope, whether products require industrial composting or can home-compost, and end-of-life collection systems to ensure composting actually happens.

Comparing the three projects at a glance

What to watch and what remains unresolved

These startups exemplify the range of technical approaches to reduce plastic and wood use. They also highlight common hurdles. First, lifecycle claims require transparent, third party verified life cycle assessments to compare alternatives on carbon, water and pollution metrics. Second, industrial scale roll-out needs capital, manufacturing partnerships and reliable feedstock supply chains. Third, standards and waste infrastructure must match new materials so that compostable or recyclable claims translate into real environmental benefits rather than new contamination streams.

Regulatory support helps but is not a panacea. Policy can create demand signals through public procurement, harmonised standards for compostability and recycled content, and transition financing. Private sector commercialisation is equally decisive because large brand owners, packaging converters and paper mills ultimately determine market access.

Finally, some claims made by companies in outreach materials need independent corroboration. For example the assertion of being the "first and only" producer in a category is difficult to verify across jurisdictions. Reported percentage reductions in greenhouse gas emissions depend on assumptions in the life cycle model and on system boundaries.

A cautious conclusion

EIC backing gives promising European startups a runway to develop bio-based and compostable materials that could reduce dependence on fossil feedstocks and virgin timber. The technical directions are credible and align with EU priorities on circularity and the Green Deal. Yet technology readiness, certification, industrial economics and waste management systems must converge before these solutions deliver the environmental benefits companies claim at scale. Stakeholders should welcome innovation while demanding transparent evidence, robust certification and clear pathways for commercial adoption.

Disclaimer: the article reports company statements and EIC project names publicised around World Environment Day 2023. Some data points originate from the companies and the EIC. Independent verification of lifecycle or market claims was not provided in the source material and is recommended for procurement or investment decisions.