translated from Spanish: Chilean company develops substitutes for plastic and conventional paper with the ability to biodegrade in record time

Reduce processes that take about 400 years in no more than two, while the environment benefits from the natural properties of its products. This allows bioplastics of BioElements, a company that revolutionizes the packaging market, with 100% biodegradable alternatives in all kinds of environments, temperatures and conditions.
Its purpose is to transform polluting patterns into ecosystem-friendly solutions, along with germinating innovation in traditional industries and sectors that do not usually incorporate it into their procedures. Through high standards of quality and compliance with international regulations, along with guidance and adjustments to specific market requirements, the startup seeks to respond in a timely manner to the needs of users and the environmental challenges of our time.
Since 2014 the company has been researching and developing rigid products that, after first uses, can acquire natural faculties and lose their mass in the middle, there is or does not exist the presence of oxygen, the main factor that prevents this course. All this is possible thanks to a resin made in their laboratory, called “BioE-8”, with which they make bags, films, packaging, cutlery and glasses, among others, that break down and prevent their accumulation in garbage dumps, landfills, river, rural and urban areas.
“Our products can even be biodegraded in six months if they are in favorable conditions such as an industrial composting plant. However, since these do not exist in Chile or Latin America, it is common for such materials to end up discarded along with other waste that does not have these powers. It is for these cases that our products manage to biodegrade in periods of 16 to 20 months, in all kinds of conditions, accelerating processes that conventional plastic would take hundreds of years and that do not ensure its complete effectiveness over time”, says Ignacio Parada, CEO of BioElements.
The incorporation of these bioplastics into the natural cycle also contribute as raw material to the land, thanks to its bio-supplied and renewable substantiality.
“There are many materials that are also biodegraded, such as papers and cartons, which at the same time damage the environment if they come from mechanical recycling processes, because they acquire harmful elements that even slow this process down by the plasticizers that are incorporated. So it doesn’t just matter that they have natural origin or properties, but they’re also ecologically friendly and that they mitigate counter-effects that can end up being worse than the evil to be solved,” Parada adds.
Biodegradation and environmental care provided by BioElements products are currently certified by leading national and foreign institutions. In Chile, by the Directorate of Scientific and Technological Research of the Catholic University (Dictuc), the Research, Development and Innovation Center of Structures and Materials of the University of Chile (Idiem) and the Pontifical Catholic University of Chile (PUCV). Abroad, by TUV Austria, Vincotte (Belgium), UNAM (Mexico) and Universidad Agraria La Molina (Peru). Guarantees that allow its expansion to international markets and that today allow its presence in Peru, Colombia, Mexico and the United States, with the intention of opening two new places at the end of this year.
“We invest about 8% of our turnover in research and development, because we not only want to develop new materials per se, but also a certification scheme with major universities and laboratories that allow us to think about five to 10 more years, due to the new needs that may appear from the market. Let us remember that there are serious problems today in terms of packaging, because many times the ones we use are polluting and do not efficiently support the circular economy. Therefore, one of our dreams is to promote sustainable paradigms and push the arrival of new actors and proposals that achieve ecological alternatives within the established,” says the executive.
The offer of substitutes for plastic, conventional paper and cardboard, and even recycled and recyclable materials, cha was recognized with awards and distinctions. In 2017 he took first place in Babson Rocket Pitch Chile, being an undertaking resolving a global problem, and last year he was part of the 39 companies that won the latest version of GoGoblal, organized by Corfo and ProChile, along with being a finalist for the CCU Innpacta awards.
Currently, BioElements is certified as Company B and since February this year it belongs to the Endeavor Entrepreneurs Network.
“We support all types of businesses, from the smallest to the largest corporations that see the need for sustainable packaging, given the large volumes they handle. Today our mission is not only to contribute in the areas of retail or e-commerce, but also to take all our ideas towards more complex bets, such as noodle packaging, beer and beverage can wrappers, items that are in contact with prepared foods, etc. Our materials have great potential for solutions and we work every day to disseminate them”, concludes Ignacio Parada.