WIPO Magazine

By Catherine Jewell, Information and Digital Outreach Division, WIPO

Plastic pollution is one of today’s most pressing global challenges. Every year, we generate more than 450 million metric tons of plastic waste. The damage caused to natural ecosystems is profoundly disturbing. If we don’t change our ways, plastic waste levels are set to triple by 2060. The clean-up will surely be the work of generations. Yet, amid the gloom, there is scope for optimism as innovative companies like the French startup Lactips, develop more sustainable packaging options to help alleviate the problem. Lactips is rethinking plastic. A pioneer in the development of natural protein-based polymers, Lactips offers an eco-friendly alternative to plastic packaging that is fully biodegradable in all environments without leaving any microplastics. WIPO Magazine recently sat down with the company’s CEO, Alexis von Tschammer, to find out more about this intriguing solution. Lactips is one of the seven winners of the WIPO Global Awards 2023.

Tell us about Lactips and its origins?

Marie-Hélène Gramatikoff, a plastics engineer, and Professor Frédéric Prochazka of the University of Saint-Etienne, set up the company in 2014, on the strength of Frédéric’s research, which he patented. Lactips is the only company in the world that can make plastic from a natural polymer - the milk protein casein - and transform it into plastic pellets for industrial use. That's what's unique about it. Our technology is a “drop in” solution that plastics manufacturers can use without additional investment. As such, we are opening up new possibilities for businesses to “green” their operations without destabilizing the industry.

We're currently transforming Lactips from a start-up to a recognized industrial SME. I joined the company last year to guide and lead this transition. With my strong experience in plastics and paper over 25 years, the Board took me on to develop the company’s industrial profile. We now have a new 4,200 square meter plant, which opened in 2021, and a big R&D center with a well-equipped lab and a team of 50 people.

What are Lactips’ priorities going forward?

There is an increasing global awareness that our planet is suffering from climate change, plastic pollution and biodiversity erosion. Consumers are more and more concerned and want to move away from plastics. Brand owners have engaged with official commitments and objectives to cut the amount of plastics they use by 2025 and 2030.

On top of that, the authorities are taking regulatory action to force change.  So the timing is perfect for us. Our plant is ready, our technology is mature, consumers want this, and the planet needs it. The great thing about our solution is that it does not fall under the European Union’s REACH or Single-Use Plastics directives because our product is 100 percent natural.

Our priority at Lactips in the short term is to guide and lead plastic converters (those who manufacture plastic products) and brand owners in their ecological transition towards sustainable solutions, eliminating plastic waste and pollution, with important commercial launches expected by the end of 2023.

Full article at 

https://www.wipo.int/wipo_magazine_digital/en/2023/article_0038.html

Tarikh Input: 28/12/2023 | Kemaskini: 28/12/2023 | asrizam