Bloom Biorenewables develops biomass-based plastics

Thanks to technology developed by start-up Bloom Biorenewables, plant materials can be used as an alternative to petroleum derivatives for producing a wide range of products, including bioplastics, textiles, cosmetics and even perfume. The firm recently raised €3.9 million in capital, bringing it one step closer to the manufacturing stage. Petroleum derivatives are used to make all sorts of goods: plastics, textiles, smartphones, furniture, and flavorings - like vanillin - not to mention cosmetics, detergents and pharmaceuticals. "Everyone knows that releasing massive amounts of fossil carbons into the air is a major contributor to global warming. However, most people don't realize how dependent we are on fossil fuels and how urgently we need to put an end to all these emissions," says Rémy Buser, CEO of Bloom Biorenewables, an EPFL spin-off. Guided by this belief and a determination to cut carbon emissions, Buser, along with the company's co-founder and COO Florent Héroguel and their team are working hard to rapidly market a technology originally developed at EPFL. Their discovery would let manufacturers use renewable carbon from biomass as a substitute for petroleum, particularly for making packaging plastics, perfume and marine biofuels.