COOPERATION WITH GENECIS BIOINDUSTRIES

Together we will develop various resin formulations that include Genecis’ PHAs for high-value applications, such as 3D printing filaments and biomedical applications. By combining both companies’ strengths, converting food waste into biodegradable plastics for Genecis and creating unique PHA based materials from various building blocks for Helian Polymers, the possibilities of unique materials arise. Materials which are not only biobased and biodegradable, but mimic properties of traditional petrochemical plastics, enabling more and sustainable end-of-life options.

Genecis is a high growth biotechnology company that upcycles organic waste into compostable plastics. Their rapid scaling model allows reaching of high throughput production capacity by adding their technology onto biogas plants. They are a graduate of the Y Combinator incubator program in Silicon Valley, received multi-million government grants, and have won international awards including 1st place in the 2020 Extreme Tech Challenge and Novo Nordisk's Innovation Challenge. They have offices in Canada and are expanding into the EU.

Genecis' Michael Williamson (middle) visits the Helian Polymers plant, flanked by Helian's Jon Donkers (left) and Ruud Rouleaux (right)

At Helian we have been active in bioplastics ever since 2007, as well as trading in color concentrates and additives on an international scale. With increased regulatory pressure and social concerns regarding petrochemically based plastics we are stepping up our efforts to supply both biobased and biodegradable materials and develop bespoke applications with its customers. Under the PHAradox umbrella multiple PHA based materials have been developed with the aim of offering more sustainable alternatives compared to existing materials. Strategic partnerships with strong companies like Genecis Bioindustries help to develop the right materials for the right applications.

With an ever increasing demand for biobased and biodegradable materials the synergy created between both companies will undoubtedly benefit converters, brand owners and consumers alike.

Stay tuned for more partnership announcements in 2022.