From organic waste to bioplastic with Benviro's superbugs

It all started with a thesis on bacteria that generate an internal fat reserve which, properly processed, has characteristics comparable to those of plastic. A bioplastic that is already obtained in certain projects from oils and sugars, but which biotechnologist Patricia Aymà sought from another alternative origin: organic waste. Thus, she found the first plastic free of microplastics, also in its origin, with a technology that aspires to be revolutionary.

Through this thesis, she verified that it was possible to close the loop: to use organic waste to create a plastic of natural and biocompostable origin. And not only was it possible, but it was "simple and easily scalable," recalls Aymà, who also highlights the positive impact the project generates on society and the environment.

As a result of that work, Aymà decided to transcend the academic field and launch herself into promoting what is now Benviro. From her scientific-technical side, Aymà embraced the business field through a program through which she met Noelia Márquez and Jordi Margarit, who joined the project in 2017. A year later, they closed their first investment round, of 250,000 euros.

"With that round, we were able to validate the technology at a pilot scale, and demonstrate to investors that there were companies that would want to have that technology to transform waste into bioplastics," Aymà recalls. That first plant was opened with BonÀrea as an ally, to take advantage of the organic waste it generates and manages. The pilot plant, in a space provided by the agri-food company, "worked for six months non-stop to validate the idea." And so it did: "It validated it and confirmed that bioplastic could be generated at an industrial level."

With that confirmation, in 2019 the startup closed another round, of 2.1 million euros, with which it built its headquarters, in Santa Perpètua de Mogoda, with laboratories and an internal pilot plant. In parallel, they began to close agreements with large companies also in the agri-food sector to carry out more studies and pilots, which were closed throughout the following year.

It was that same year when they closed another operation of 11 million euros, which Aymà describes as a "historic round," with which they were able to acquire new machinery and expand the team; currently, Benviro has about thirty professionals.

Since then, the company has not only expanded its team, but also its pilots and agreements, such as the one reached with a brewing group. And that's because brewing beer involves using a yeast that, once the process is finished and through Benviro's technology, is now no longer wasted and is converted into bioplastic. In fact, "the idea is to be able to scale up in the beer sector" for the production of the Catalan startup's bioplastic.

After these first plants, the startup's strategy is to target large companies that generate organic waste to then cook it with a first consortium of bacteria, and then give this cooked waste to the superbacteria from which the bioplastic is obtained. Once the bacteria have accumulated, the bioplastic is extracted, with the same virtues as traditional plastic, but without the characteristics that harm the environment both in its production and when it is no longer in use.

The bioplastic, with a whitish sandy appearance, is then converted into the granule that Benviro then sells. For this sale, the startup is now focusing on the cosmetics, perfumery, and luxury market, without closing itself off to the rest. In fact, one of the startup's main collaborations is with Pujolasos, a company in the luxury packaging sector specializing in wooden caps for the beauty sector. Despite being made of wood, the caps need a plastic adapter, and that's where Benviro's superbacteria come in.

Benviro expects to invoice more than seven million this year

All of this with an eye on internationalization. In fact, although for now the generation of bioplastic is at a peninsular level, "market insertion has always been considered internationally". Thus, many of the contracts that Benviro is closing go beyond borders, with a projection that surpasses its original market.

Now, Benviro is immersed in a new investment round, with which it seeks to raise about ten million euros, to continue advancing both in the generation of its bioplastic and in its commercialization and structure. Currently, the startup that was born from a thesis has the capacity to generate about five tons of bioplastic per week; the goal is to multiply it through its various verticals to expand and, naturally, gain ground on plastic.