BioPlaster Research

What BioPlaster Research does

BioPlaster Research (legal entity BIOPLASTER RESEARCH SAPI DE CV) is a Mexican biotechnology company founded in 2019 and headquartered in Progreso, Yucatán, with a registered legal office in Mexico City. It develops biodegradable packaging materials from invasive sargassum seaweed (Sargassum natans and Sargassum fluitans) harvested from Caribbean coastlines. Its core product family, GreenShell, includes compostable packaging films (GreenShell Films), an EPS-replacing impact-absorbing foam (GreenShell Solid Foam), reusable compostable bags, biodegradable yarn, and composite packaging solutions. Underlying technology involves extracting alginates, cellulose, and fucoidans from brown algae biomass and processing them into finished packaging; the company holds ISO 14855 home-compostability certification and reports 96.3% lower environmental impact versus expanded polystyrene and 1–5 month biodegradation times. A second platform, SargaBio, is a vertically integrated biorefinery project intended to supply industrial inputs (alginate, cellulose, biofertilizer) to both the company's own manufacturing and third-party buyers.

The company sells primarily via a B2B enterprise field-sales motion targeted at fashion, food, cosmetics, household, and hygiene retail accounts, with custom prototyping, sample distribution, and tailored packaging implementation. Pricing is currently at parity with kraft paper and above conventional plastic at low production volumes, with management targeting cost competitiveness at scale. Customers and partners referenced on the company website include IKEA, Walmart, P&G, Essity, Ingredion, Reyma, Algabo, Racsy, and Gasaru. Revenue streams comprise direct sale of finished biodegradable packaging products and sale of extracted biomaterial inputs. The company is pre-seed/seed stage, having received early capital from GridX (Argentine VC), Carl Page / Anthropocene Institute, Amplifica Capital, GRID EXPONENTIAL, Rindani Capital, Zero by Fifty, and Epic Angels, and maintains academic collaborations with UNAM, Tecnológico de Monterrey, and the University of Oxford.

Name

BioPlaster Research

Legal name

BIOPLASTER RESEARCH SAPI DE CV

Website

https://bioplaster-research.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2019

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Mexican biotechnology company BioPlaster Research converts invasive Caribbean sargassum seaweed into biodegradable GreenShell packaging (films, foam, bags) and operates the SargaBio biorefinery for alginate, cellulose, and biofertilizer, selling to retail enterprise customers including IKEA and Walmart.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Biodegradable Packaging Materials

NAICS

Resin, Synthetic Rubber, and Artificial and Synthetic Fibers and Filaments Manufacturing (3252), Starch and Vegetable Fats and Oils Manufacturing (31122), Fertilizer and Compost Manufacturing (32531)

SIC

Unsupported Plastics Film & Sheet (3081), Plastic Material, Synth Resin/Rubber, Cellulos (No Glass) (2820), Plastics Products, Nec (3089)

akta.pro primary industry

Biodegradable Packaging Materials (films, trays, foams) (IMAEAOAB)

akta.pro secondary industries

Bio-based Polymers & Bioplastics (e.g., PLA, PHA, bio-PE/PP/PET, PBS) (EUAAAIAC), Compostable & Bio-Based Packaging (PLA/PHA, Starch Blends, Cellulose Films) (IMALAMAB), Compostable & Biodegradable Disposable Supplies (CRAJAGAK)

Keywords

• Biodegradable packaging
• Sargassum bioplastics
• Sustainable packaging materials
• Algae-based biomaterials
• Compostable retail packaging

Headquarters

HQ city

Mérida

HQ country

Mexico

HQ region

Latin America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Biodegradable Packaging Products: Sale of sargassum-based bioplastic products including GreenShell Films, GreenShell Solid Foam, compostable bags, and composite packaging solutions to retail sector companies.
2. Biomaterial Inputs: Production and sale of extracted compounds from sargassum including alginate, cellulose, and biofertilizer for industrial applications.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels3 records

Core offering

BioPlaster Research develops and manufactures biodegradable packaging materials derived from invasive sargassum seaweed harvested from Caribbean coastlines. Its GreenShell product line includes compostable films, impact-absorbing solid foam, reusable bags, biodegradable thread, and composite packaging sold to enterprise retail buyers as direct replacements for conventional plastics and kraft paper. The SargaBio Biorefinery platform supplies extracted alginate, cellulose, biofertilizer, and biomaterial inputs for these products.

Product overview

BioPlaster Research is a Mexican biotechnology company that develops and produces biodegradable packaging solutions derived from invasive sargassum seaweed harvested from Caribbean coastlines. The product portfolio centers on the GreenShell brand family, which includes GreenShell Films (compostable packaging films), GreenShell Solid Foam (impact-absorbing foam alternative to expanded polystyrene), composite packaging solutions, biodegradable yarn, and compostable bags. Supporting the core product line is the SargaBio Biorefinery platform, a vertically integrated infrastructure project that extracts high-value compounds from sargassum—including alginate, cellulose, biofertilizer, and biomaterials—to supply the company's manufacturing operations and generate additional revenue streams. The company positions its solutions as direct replacements for conventional plastics and paper in retail, fashion, food, cosmetics, and household sectors, with products biodegrading within 1-5 months under home compost conditions.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• GreenShell Films (Películas para empaque)

Quantifiable outcome

• 96.3% lower environmental impact than expanded polystyrene
• +4 more outcomes

Named customers8 records

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature4 records

Partnerships

Three partnerships are on record, tiered minor.

• Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México (UNAM)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerAcademic partner contributing Dr. Roeb García to the team. Collaboration for scientific research and development of bioplastic materials.
• Instituto Tecnológico y de Estudios Superiores de MonterreyminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerAcademic partner contributing Lic. Cuauhtémoc Durán to the team. Collaboration for research and innovation in biotechnology.
• Universidad de OxfordminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerInternational academic partner contributing Dra. Sonia Contera to the team. Collaboration for advanced materials science research.

Scale indicators7 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Loliware: US-based company producing seaweed-based biopolymers for packaging and single-use applications. Direct competitor in seaweed-to-bioplastics chemistry, addressing similar consumer goods and food-service packaging use cases.
• Notpla: UK-based maker of seaweed-based packaging films, sachets, and coatings. Competes head-to-head with BioPlaster in the seaweed-derived biodegradable packaging category and serves similar retail and foodservice customers.
• Cruz Foam: US-based maker of EPS-alternative foam packaging using chitosan from shellfish waste. Competes with BioPlaster's GreenShell Solid Foam specifically in protective/cushioning packaging for e-commerce and retail shipments.
• Tipa: Israel-based company producing home-compostable flexible packaging films for retail and food sectors. Competes with BioPlaster's GreenShell Films in compostable packaging positioning and retail customer wins.
• Sway: US-based startup developing seaweed-based flexible packaging films as a plastic alternative. Directly comparable technology platform (macroalgae → bio-based films) targeting fashion and retail end markets.
• Bloom Foam (Algix): Producer of algae-based flexible foams and substrates for footwear, apparel, and packaging. Closely comparable in algae-biomass-to-foam chemistry and in targeting sustainable replacements for conventional plastics.

Broad incumbents

• Novamont: Italian bioplastics incumbent producing Mater-Bi starch-based biodegradable resins and films. Competes across the broader biodegradable packaging market that BioPlaster addresses, but at much larger scale and with established retail customers.
• NatureWorks: Global PLA bioplastic resin producer supplying packaging, food-service, and consumer goods markets. Represents the dominant incumbent alternative that BioPlaster's seaweed-based materials must displace in retail packaging applications.

Emerging players

• Full Cycle Bioplastics: US-based developer of PHA bioplastics from organic waste using microbial fermentation. An adjacent emerging bioplastic technology with comparable sustainability profile and target end markets in retail and food packaging.
• Ecovative (Mushroom Packaging): US-based company producing mycelium-based protective packaging as an EPS alternative. Competes with BioPlaster's GreenShell Solid Foam in the sustainable protective packaging category with a different bio-based feedstock approach.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/bioplaster_inc
• Facebookfacebook.com/BioPlasterResearch

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles7 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds4 records

Investors5 records

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 BioPlaster Research