What Lignin Industries does

Lignin Industries AB is a Swedish materials science company founded in 2018 (originally as RenCom AB, rebranded in March 2021) that has developed and patented a process for transforming lignin — a by-product of the forest and agricultural industries — into thermoplastic granules called Renol®. The company operates a demonstration plant in Knivsta, Sweden, with over 1,000 tonnes/year of installed capacity enabled by a Coperion twin-screw extrusion system, sourcing lignin from Stora Enso's Lineo™ brand. Its Renol® product line is a drop-in masterbatch solution that can be blended with recycled or virgin polymers across PE, PP, ABS, and TPV applications, processed on standard injection moulding, extrusion, and film manufacturing equipment without modification, and certified recyclable (Interzero 19/20) with a carbon-negative cradle-to-gate footprint.

The company sells to automotive OEMs and Tier suppliers (Scania/Traton), packaging converters producing e-commerce bags and consumer packaging (Brandworks and unnamed 'Film Partners in Europe'), and industrial/consumer goods manufacturers across Europe. Revenue is generated through direct sales via regional managers covering Nordic, broader EU, Southern Europe, and Global Key Accounts, supplemented by an exclusive distribution partnership with AMP Polymix (announced May 2026) and a UK compounding/distribution partnership with Hellyar Plastics (December 2024). Pricing is quote-based and not publicly disclosed. The company holds ISO 9001, ISO 14001, and ISO 45001 certifications, won the Packnorth Award and Packnorth Special Price in 2024, and has cumulatively raised approximately €7.3M in equity, grants, and share issues through May 2025.

The company is led by CEO Brita Kämpe Bromé (appointed early 2026, previously CFO from 2025, with prior experience at McKinsey and Carnegie Investment Bank), founder and CTO Christopher Carrick (PhD Material Chemistry, KTH/Georgia Tech), CC&BDO Carolina Santos Murray (ex-McKinsey, joined 2024), COO Johan Verendel (PhD Chemistry, Uppsala), and CCO Toby Hodgson (ex-Amerplast/Billerud, joined November 2023).

Name

Lignin Industries

Legal name

Lignin Industries AB

Website

https://lignin.se

Company type

Private

Founded year

2018

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Lignin Industries is a Swedish materials science company producing Renol®, a patented bio-based thermoplastic masterbatch made from lignin and bio-oils, sold as a drop-in fossil-plastic alternative to automotive, packaging, and industrial manufacturers across Europe.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Bio-based Plastics and Biopolymers

NAICS

Plastics Product Manufacturing (3261), Resin and Synthetic Rubber Manufacturing (32521)

SIC

Industrial Organic Chemicals (2860)

akta.pro primary industry

Polymer Compounds & Masterbatches (Compounding, Color/Fill/Additive Concentrates) (IMAEANAJ)

akta.pro secondary industries

Masterbatch Manufacturing (Color, Additive, White/Black) (IMANABAD), Lignin-based Materials & Carbon Products (binders, resins, carbon fiber/activated carbon) (IMAMALAE)

Keywords

• Bio-based thermoplastics
• Lignin biopolymers
• Bioplastic masterbatch
• Renewable plastic materials
• Carbon-negative polymers

Headquarters

HQ city

Knivsta

HQ country

Sweden

HQ region

Europe

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

Supply Chain, Technology or R&D, Operations, Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Renol® Masterbatch Sales: Sale of bio-based thermoplastic masterbatch materials under Renol® brand. Products sold in granular form for blending with customer polymers. Multiple product lines covering PE, PP, ABS, and TPV applications. Revenue generated through direct sales team and distribution partners.

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Lignin Industries manufactures and sells Renol®, a patented lignin-based thermoplastic masterbatch produced by blending lignin (a forestry/agricultural by-product) with bio-based oil into granular form. The Renol® masterbatch is a drop-in solution blended at up to 40% with fossil-based or recycled polymers (PE, PP, ABS, TPV) for use in standard injection moulding, extrusion, and film production equipment. The company sells to industrial manufacturers in automotive, packaging, and consumer goods sectors seeking to replace fossil-based plastics and reduce CO2 emissions.

Product overview

Lignin Industries is a materials science company that developed Renol®, a proprietary lignin-based polymer compound produced from lignin and bio-based oils. The company's product portfolio is organized as a unified platform of Renol®-based masterbatches targeting multiple polymer families: PE film applications (Film Zero, Film Pro, Film Go), polypropylene compounds (Virgin, Recycled, PP Flex, PP Fusion), ABS masterbatches (Virgin, Recycled), and a thermoplastic vulcanizate elastomer (TPV). All products are formulated as drop-in solutions for existing manufacturing processes without requiring capital equipment changes, positioning the portfolio as a material-as-a-service-like platform of sustainable polymer additives across major thermoplastics.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Renol®: Bio-based thermoplastics made from lignin and bio-oil, serving as drop-in solutions to replace fossil-based plastics in various applications including PE, PP, ABS, and TPE. Renol® masterbatches reduce CO2 emissions while maintaining material performance and recyclability.
• Renol® Film Zero
• Renol® Film Pro
• Renol® Film Go
• Renol® PP Flex
• Renol® PP Fusion
• Renol® virgin ABS 5050
• Renol® recycled ABS 7030
• Renol® TPV

Products and services

• Renol® Film Zero Premium carbon-neutral masterbatch for polyethylene film applications, enabling manufacturers to produce PE films with net-zero carbon footprint by replacing fossil-derived polymers with lignin-based Renol®.
• Renol® Film Pro Carbon-negative masterbatch for polyethylene film delivering a net-positive climate impact by sequestering more carbon than emitted across production and use lifecycle.
• Renol® Film Go Accessible, low-carbon masterbatch for polyethylene film applications blended with recycled materials for cost-efficient CO2 reduction entry point.
• Renol® PP Virgin Masterbatch 50/50 masterbatch blending virgin polypropylene with Renol® lignin-based compound for manufacturers seeking to reduce carbon footprint in virgin PP applications.
• Renol® PP Recycled Masterbatch 50/50 masterbatch combining recycled polypropylene with Renol® lignin-based compound, offering a circular material solution for polypropylene converters.
• Renol® PP Flex Polypropylene masterbatch incorporating elastomer additives to enhance impact strength and flexibility, with up to 60% higher impact strength and 70% bio-based content.
• Renol® PP Fusion Polypropylene masterbatch formulated to balance stiffness and toughness, with net-negative carbon footprint for demanding applications with competing property requirements.
• Renol® ABS Virgin Masterbatch

Quantifiable outcome

• 50% CO2 reduction in end products when Renol® TPV mixed 60/40 with virgin TPV
• +6 more outcomes

Named customers3 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature5 records

Partnerships

Seven partnerships are on record, tiered flagship, core and minor.

• AMP PolymixflagshipChannel Partner/ Reseller/ Distributor · 19 May 2026Strategic exclusive partnership announced May 2026 for distribution and growth of sustainable material solutions based on Lignin Industries' technology in polymer applications. Aims to accelerate bio-based thermoplastics adoption across European markets.
• Hellyar PlasticscoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ Distributor · 4 December 2024Partnership with UK's leading independent compounder and polymer distributor to bring innovative bio-based plastic to new markets and scale commercialisation. Worked together for 18 months testing Renol® with customers. First products launched imminently.
• Scania (Traton Group)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerAutomotive sector partner testing lignin-based plastics. Exploring 5-10% replacement of fossil-based plastic with lignin-based bioplastic in vehicles. Testing Renol® with Ku-Fizz technology for lightweight components. Co-presented at PIAE conference in Mannheim.
• Stora EnsocoreTechnology or IntegrationSupply partnership for Lineo™ lignin - Stora Enso's award-winning kraft lignin. Agreement for thousand tonnes scale supply to Lignin Industries' demo plant near Stockholm for production of RENOL®.
• CoperioncoreTechnology or IntegrationTechnology partnership for ZSK twin screw extrusion system enabling production of RENOL®. Comprehensive studies in Coperion's test lab in Stuttgart, Germany. System delivers up to 1000 tons per year capacity.
• Nordisk BioplastföreningminorOthersMember of Nordic Bioplastics Association for industry networking and standards development.
• European BioplasticsminorOthersMember of European Bioplastics association advocating for biobased plastics in EU policy.

Scale indicators11 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights7 records

Direct peers

• NatureWorks: World's largest PLA producer, supplying bio-based polymer resins used as drop-in or replacement grades for fossil plastics. Directly competes with Renol® in the bio-based plastics value proposition for packaging, fibers, and durable goods.
• TotalEnergies Corbion: Joint venture producing Luminy® PLA bioplastics for packaging, consumer goods, and durables. Competes with Lignin Industries in supplying bio-based, drop-in or replacement polymer grades to converters and brand owners.
• Bloom Biorenewables: Swiss startup developing high-performance materials from lignin, with proprietary technology for valorizing lignin into bio-based polymers and resins. Closest direct peer by feedstock (lignin) and product philosophy.
• Avantium: Develops PEF (polyethylene furanoate), a 100% plant-based polyester positioned as a renewable alternative to PET. Comparable as a European bio-based polymer company targeting packaging applications with proprietary plant-based chemistry.

Emerging players

• MetGen: Industrial biotech company producing enzymes and bio-based chemicals/materials, including lignin-based products. Comparable as a European bio-based materials company commercializing industrial biotech outputs at scale.
• Renmatix: Biomass conversion technology company focused on converting plant-based feedstocks into sugars and intermediates for bio-based materials and chemicals. Comparable as a feedstock-flexible biomass-to-materials platform targeting polymers and chemicals.

Broad incumbents

• Stora Enso: Forest products major producing Lineo™ lignin (which Lignin Industries sources) and bio-based carbon materials. Comparable as a vertically integrated forest-residue-to-materials incumbent and a direct supplier/ecosystem participant to Lignin Industries' value chain.
• UPM Biochemicals: Division of UPM-Kymmene producing bio-based monoethylene glycol from industrial residues, supplying renewable feedstocks into the plastics and chemicals value chain. Comparable as a forest-industry-based renewable chemicals/materials supplier competing for the same sustainability-driven demand.
• LyondellBasell: Global polyolefins leader with CirculenRenew and CirculenRecover product lines for renewable and recycled-content polymers. Competes as a broad incumbent bringing bio-attributed and mechanically recycled polyolefins to packaging and durable goods customers evaluating Renol®.
• BASF: Global chemicals major offering Ecovio® and other certified compostable/bio-based plastics for packaging and agricultural film. Competes broadly with Renol® via incumbent scale, R&D resources, and existing converter relationships.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/ligninindustries

Compliance4 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles11 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds1 record

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Lignin Industries