Plastic products from biowaste: FluidSolids AG receives Golden Idea Award

Plastic products based on nutshells or coffee grounds? It's possible - thanks to the technology of FluidSolids AG. Beat Karrer and his team are behind this still young company. They have succeeded in producing biocomposites from biological waste as well as residual materials. This means an innovative solution for the circular economy.

Combining economy with ecology

Industrial designer Beat Karrer started a little over ten years ago. "As an industrial designer, we regularly experiment and tinker with new materials. Back then, we were looking for alternative raw materials for plastics that we could use instead of petroleum-based materials. We found a solution in cellulosic materials," says Beat Karrer. Initial formulations were tinkered with in a design workshop. These were then optimized in the design studio so that the first prototypes, such as bowls or even a stool, could quickly be successfully produced. In 2011, a patent application was filed. "Then we got serious about the business model," Karrer recalls. A CTI-funded project was implemented with the Rapperswil University of Applied Sciences, various innovation competitions were participated in, and an invitation from the USA also followed. All this eventually led to increased interest from industry. "The 'golden' thing about our idea is probably the successful linking of sustainability with economic feasibility," is Beat Karrer's assessment. "A solution is only truly sustainable when it is just as convincing economically as it is ecologically."

New plastic products from residual materials

The end products are so-called biocomposites, i.e. composite materials consisting of a natural polymer matrix into which fibers and additives are incorporated. The fibers can come from waste materials such as nutshells, corncobs, wood chips, cotton fibers, etc. Through appropriate process technology, waste materials can be returned to a value-added cycle instead of being disposed of. The biocomposites produced using FluidSolids' technology can then be processed into various plastic end products using conventional methods such as injection molding or extrusion. "Our technology is now widespread in the fashion sector: some clothing manufacturers are already using our process to process residual materials into clothes hangers or packaging materials, for example," explains Beat Karrer.

Great interest from the industry

On the one hand, FluidSolids AG operates its own plants for the production of biocomposites. On the other hand, the company sees itself as a technology supplier. The focus as customers is on major brand-name companies from various industries that can recycle their residual materials in this way and replace conventional plastics with biodegradable ones. "We don't want to demonize plastics per se," Beat Karrer specifies. "We are much more concerned with increasing the use of biocomposites, especially for single-use products." After all, the real problem with petrochemical plastics is their use in short-lived products such as plastic bags.

Innovation funding good, but...

For its contribution to reducing the environmental impact of biodegradable plastics and promoting the circular economy, FluidSolids AG received the IDEE-SUISSE Golden Idea Award on November 18, 2020. And the idea also found favor with investors. Three financing rounds were successfully completed. Beat Karrer states: "The promotion of innovation in Switzerland works very well. But it's more difficult when it comes to financing for further development to market maturity." He regrets that many a start-up therefore moves abroad and thus engages in an - actually unenforced - technology export. Karrer appreciates the award all the more as recognition and appreciation of the many years of work. The next goals on the agenda are further consolidation, an expansion of the R&D department, and the acquisition of new customers.

More information: FluidSolids AG