What Wildplastic does

WILDPLASTIC GmbH is a Hamburg-based circular-economy company founded in 2019 that collects 'wild plastic' — film-grade plastic waste lying outside formal recycling systems — through partner collection organizations in India, Ghana, Nigeria, Thailand, Indonesia, Sierra Leone, Haiti, Egypt, Senegal, and Liberia. The company aggregates, sorts, washes, and granulates low-density polyethylene (LDPE) film plastic into recycled raw material, which it converts into consumer trash bags under the WILDBAG brand (sizes 10L–120L plus a Mixbox), shipping envelopes including the OTTOBAG co-developed with OTTO, and fashion-industry polybags (85% wild plastic). The core technology is the LDPE film recycling process, supplemented by the WILDTRACKER supply-chain transparency system that lets buyers trace finished products back to the country of collection. The company claims 1,843 tonnes of wild plastic collected, 4,212 tonnes of CO2 saved per its life cycle assessment, and 34,463 days of improved working conditions documented through collection partners.

The business operates a dual B2C/B2B model. Direct-to-consumer revenue flows through the wildplastic.com e-commerce shop selling WILDBAG products at €14.99 (Mixbox) up to €119.85 (120L Big-Box) to consumers in Germany, Austria, Belgium, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, and Switzerland. B2B revenue comes from custom packaging solutions — mailing bags, polybags, and product packaging — sold through a dedicated sales team, a B2B portal (business.wildplastic.com), and partner distributors hygi.de and ratioform.de. Named enterprise customers include OTTO (exclusive OTTOBAG use since 2021), VfL Wolfsburg, Borussia Dortmund, BLUME2000, runamics, Capone Clothing, reuse.me, and WEPA, with the company self-positioned as 'PPWR ready' for upcoming EU packaging regulation.

WILDPLASTIC is incorporated as a Purpose GmbH, a legal structure that prevents the company from being sold or inherited and places ownership with its workforce; the Purpose Foundation retains a 1% voting stake and veto right to protect the mission. The company has raised approximately €825,000 in disclosed seed funding (May 2024) from Planet A Ventures, Purpose Ventures, Karma Capital, Innovation for Impact, Golzern Holding GmbH, Focused Business Events, and Cantella. It employs roughly 17 people, holds the 2020 German Sustainability Award (Design), and has been featured in Handelsblatt, Zeit Online, ZDF, National Geographic, ARTE, and Utopia.

Name

Wildplastic

Legal name

WILDPLASTIC GmbH

Website

https://wildplastic.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2019

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

WILDPLASTIC is a Hamburg-based circular-economy company, founded in 2019, that collects LDPE 'wild plastic' from ten countries via partner organizations and converts it into WILDBAG trash bags, shipping envelopes, and fashion polybags sold to D2C consumers in DACH/Benelux and to B2B enterprise customers including OTTO and Bundesliga clubs.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Recycled Plastic Packaging

NAICS

Plastics Bag and Pouch Manufacturing (326111), Materials Recovery Facilities (56292), Waste Collection (56211)

SIC

Plastics, Foil & Coated Paper Bags (2673), Unsupported Plastics Film & Sheet (3081)

akta.pro primary industry

Film & Flexible Plastics Recycling (LDPE/LLDPE, Multilayer) (EUAIAKAE)

akta.pro secondary industries

Trash Bags & Bin Liners (CRAJAGAA), Recycled Plastic Compounds (PCR/PIR) (IMANABAE)

Keywords

• Recycled plastic products
• Wild plastic recovery
• Sustainable packaging solutions
• Circular economy manufacturing
• LDPE trash bags

Headquarters

HQ city

Hamburg

HQ country

Germany

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

Supply Chain, Operations, Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. B2C Product Sales: Direct-to-consumer sales of WILDBAG products through the e-commerce storefront wildplastic.com. Products include trash bags in various sizes (10L, 25L, 35L, 60L, 120L) and Mixbox bundles. Revenue is generated through one-time purchase transactions with standard e-commerce payment methods.
2. B2B Packaging Solutions: Custom packaging solutions for business customers including Versandtaschen (shipping envelopes), Polybags, and custom product packaging. Large orders (20+ Big-Box units) handled through sales team with volume discounts. Products also distributed via partner platforms hygi.de and ratioform.de.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Wildplastic collects "wild plastic" (LDPE film plastic lying in the environment in countries without formal waste management) through partner organizations, then sorts, washes, and granulates it into high-quality recycled material. That material is converted into circular products — primarily WILDBAG trash bags for consumers and shipping envelopes, OTTOBAG, and WILDPLASTIC Polybags for business customers — sold via e-commerce and direct enterprise sales.

Product overview

WILDPLASTIC is a circular economy company that produces trash bags, shipping envelopes, and polybags from 'wild plastic' (plastic waste collected from the environment in regions without formal waste management systems). The core product line consists of the WILDBAG series in various sizes (10L, 25L, 35L, 60L, 120L) plus a Mixbox bundle. For B2B customers, they offer WILDmailingbags (shipping envelopes including the OTTOBAG partnership product) and WILDPLASTIC Polybags for the fashion industry. Supporting these products are the WILDTRACKER transparency system for supply chain traceability, plus the WP Impact Widget and Storytelling Kit as B2B marketing tools. The company was founded in 2019 as a Purpose GmbH in Hamburg and sources wild plastic from India, Ghana, Nigeria, Thailand, Indonesia, Sierra Leone, Haiti, Egypt, Senegal, and Liberia.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• WILDBAG: Trash bags and waste sacks made from wild plastic, available in sizes 10L, 25L, 35L, 60L, 120L, and as Mixbox bundles.
• OTTOBAG
• WILDPLASTIC Polybags
• WILDTRACKER

Products and services

• WILDBAG 10L Small-format trash bag made from recycled wild plastic, sized for cosmetic bins and small household waste bins in homes, gastronomy and hospitality. Priced at €44.85 per unit.
• WILDBAG 25L Medium-format trash bag made from recycled wild LDPE plastic, designed for bathroom, office and small kitchen bins. Priced at €47.85 per Big-Box (15 rolls × 15 bags).
• WILDBAG 35L Versatile all-purpose 35L trash bag made from recycled wild plastic, fitting under-sink bins, office bins, or vehicle bins. Priced at €52.35 per unit.
• WILDBAG 60L Large-format 60L trash bag (64cm × 84cm, 10 bags per roll) made from recycled wild plastic for families, shared apartments, or office bins. Priced at €59.85 per unit.
• WILDBAG 120L Extra-large 120L trash bag (70cm × 110cm, 60µm extra-strong) made from recycled wild plastic for gastronomy, industry and moving applications. Priced at €119.85 per Big-Box (15 rolls).
• WILDBAG Mixbox Curated gift box containing 1× 25L, 2× 35L and 1× 60L WILDBAGs, designed for gifting and home starter-sets. Priced at €14.99 per unit.
• OTTOBAG (OTTO x WILDPLASTIC Mailing Bag) Co-developed shipping envelope made from 80% wild plastic, supplied to OTTO for all shipments since 2021. Sold via the B2B sales team for enterprise customers.
• WILDPLASTIC Polybags Polybag for the fashion industry made from 85% wild plastic; antistatic and scannable, LkSG-compliant, marketed as the first polybag worldwide made from wild plastic. Sold to fashion brands via the B2B sales team.
• WILDmailingbags (Custom B2B Shipping Envelopes) Bespoke mailing/shipping envelopes produced from wild plastic for B2B customers, delivered through the B2B sales team with volume discounts and bespoke design.
• Reusable Shipping Bags (reuse.me x WILDPLASTIC) Reusable circular shipping envelope with 80 my thickness and a reusable residue-free adhesive closure, developed jointly with reuse.me for parcel logistics customers.

Quantifiable outcome

• Up to 60% CO2 reduction compared to conventional trash bags
• +4 more outcomes

Named customers7 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature2 records

Partnerships

Nine partnerships are on record, tiered core, moderate and minor.

• OTTOStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership since 2021 developing the OTTOBAG, a shipping envelope made from 80% wild plastic. OTTO now exclusively uses WILDPLASTIC shipping envelopes for all shipments. Joint Verpackungsstudie (packaging study) conducted with Systain Consulting comparing environmental impact of materials.
• VfL WolfsburgcoreGTM or Marketing PartnerBundesliga club uses WILDPLASTIC shipping envelopes as part of sustainability commitment. First European top club in 'Race to Zero' program, demonstrating that sustainability can start with small conscious steps.
• BLUME2000coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerDeveloping packaging for Blumenerde (potting soil) and fertilizer bottles from WILDPLASTIC material. Multi-year collaboration on sustainable packaging solutions for garden care products.
• runamicsmoderateGTM or Marketing PartnerSustainable running apparel brand using WILDPLASTIC Polybags in their supply chain. Partnership includes co-sharing of sustainability story and product quality endorsement.
• Capone ClothingminorGTM or Marketing PartnerGerman streetwear label using WILDPLASTIC Polybags for their fashion products. Products match quality of virgin plastic alternatives.
• Borussia DortmundcoreGTM or Marketing PartnerBVB uses WildPlastic bags for merchandise shipping, with plastic returned to the recycling cycle. Notable sports partnership demonstrating sustainability in German football.
• reuse.memoderateStrategic or Co-development PartnerSix-month collaboration to develop reusable shipping envelopes from wild plastic. First prototype completed, enabling circular economy model for WILDPLASTIC packaging through reuse system.
• WEPAmoderateStrategic or Co-development PartnerDeveloped first packaging from wild plastic together. Mentioned in LP Economy article March 2024.
• Local Collection Organizations (India, Ghana, Nigeria, Thailand, Indonesia, Sierra Leone, Haiti, Egypt, Senegal, Liberia)coreOthersWild plastic is collected through partner organizations in countries without formal waste management. India partner (Ahmedabad) has WFTO certification since 2023. Each collector collects approximately 50kg of wild plastic daily.

Scale indicators7 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights7 records

Emerging players

• Bureo: Recycles ocean plastic (primarily fishing nets) into consumer products including sunglasses, skateboards, and NetPlus raw material supplied to brands. Comparable recycled-plastic feedstock and B2B raw material supply model.

Direct peers

• Plastic Bank: Plastic Bank collects ocean-bound and environmentally-disposed plastic via collection networks in developing countries and converts it into Social Plastic feedstock for brands. Closest direct peer to Wildplastic in mission, supply chain model, and end-product orientation.
• GOT BAG: German brand producing bags and backpacks made from ocean-recovered plastic. Comparable consumer-facing brand using environmentally-collected plastic, with similar DACH market presence.
• Tide Ocean: Swiss company that collects ocean-bound plastic from Southeast Asia and produces recycled granules and finished products. Directly comparable to Wildplastic in feedstock sourcing, granulation technology, and European sustainability positioning.
• Prevented Ocean Plastic: Recycles ocean-bound plastic collected from coastal regions into food-grade and packaging-grade rPET and rHDPE resin. Comparable feedstock sourcing model and end-market focus on consumer packaging.
• Hero Packaging: Australian company producing compostable courier satchels and mailers as alternatives to traditional plastic shipping bags. Comparable to Wildplastic in the sustainable B2B mailing bag category.
• EcoEnclose: US-based sustainable packaging company offering recycled and recyclable shipping envelopes, polybags, and boxes to e-commerce brands. Direct competitor in the recycled-content shipping packaging category Wildplastic targets via OTTOBAG.
• The Better Packaging Co. Produces compostable and recycled-content shipping envelopes and polybags for e-commerce and fashion brands. Competes head-on with Wildplastic in B2B sustainable shipping packaging, particularly for apparel and DTC commerce.

Broad incumbents

• Veolia Recycling Germany: Global waste management and recycling major with plastics recovery operations in Germany and across Europe. Represents the incumbent recycling infrastructure that increasingly overlaps with Wildplastic's collection-to-granule value chain.
• ALPLA Werke Alwin Lehner: One of the world's largest plastic packaging manufacturers, increasingly expanding into recycled-content (rPET, rHDPE) solutions under regulatory and brand pressure. Represents the incumbents Wildplastic must compete with as PPWR drives recycled-content adoption.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks1 record

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/wildplastic

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles7 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds2 records

Investors7 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 Wildplastic