Greenbutts
Greenbutts develops patented plant-based biodegradable cigarette filters as a drop-in replacement for cellulose acetate. It supplies and licenses the technology to international tobacco manufacturers via B2B partnerships, with FDA approval pursued through 22nd Century Group.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2010
- HeadquartersSan Diego, United States
- Headcount1–10
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingHardware or Manufacturing
What Greenbutts does
Greenbutts is a private materials science company founded in 2010 that develops plant-based biodegradable cigarette filter technology intended to replace conventional cellulose acetate filters. The company's core technology is a patented filter substrate made from a proprietary blend of all-natural, food-grade fibers using a starch-based binder, with no synthetic materials or plasticizers. The filter is engineered to degrade in compost within days and disperse in water within minutes, compared to over 15 years for conventional acetate filters, and is designed to be compatible with existing cigarette filter-making machinery to facilitate drop-in adoption by manufacturers. The technology is trademarked as Greenbutts™ and is supported by patents developed since 2010 in collaboration with leading R&D institutions and international tobacco companies.
Greenbutts operates as a B2B supplier to enterprise tobacco manufacturers with two revenue model layers: direct sale of finished filter products, and licensing of its patented filter technology. Its primary go-to-market motion is OEM-embedded supply to tobacco companies, supplemented by event-driven demand generation at major industry conferences including INTERTABAC 2026 and GTNF 2026. The company is actively pursuing FDA approval for its filter technology in partnership with 22nd Century Group under a multi-year manufacturing agreement signed in July 2024, which provides production capacity at the Mocksville, North Carolina NASCO facility and a pathway into VLN reduced-nicotine cigarettes and contract manufacturing. The technology is positioned to help manufacturers comply with the European Union Single-Use Plastics Directive (SUPD) and other global single-use plastics regulations.
The company is headquartered in San Diego, California, with manufacturing operated through the 22nd Century NASCO facility in North Carolina and a corporate entity (Greenbutts Canada Holdings Corp.) incorporated in British Columbia, Canada. Greenbutts has raised approximately $2.65M in cumulative exempt securities offerings across 2024 and 2025 and employs fewer than 10 people. The company has no disclosed revenue, no app or digital platform, and no disclosed AI/ML capabilities. Co-founder and president Tadas Lisauskas leads the company.
Greenbutts firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Greenbutts
- Legal name
- Greenbutts, LLC
- Website
- https://green-butts.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2010
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 1–10 employees
- Short description
- Greenbutts develops patented plant-based biodegradable cigarette filters as a drop-in replacement for cellulose acetate. It supplies and licenses the technology to international tobacco manufacturers via B2B partnerships, with FDA approval pursued through 22nd Century Group.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Greenbutts industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Biodegradable Cigarette Filters
- NAICS
- Tobacco Manufacturing (312230)
- SIC
- Cigarettes (2111)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Cigarettes Manufacturing & Brands (CRADAJAA)
Keywords
Where Greenbutts is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- San Diego
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices1 record
Markets served
Greenbutts business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Hardware or Manufacturing
- Cost components
- Operations, Supply Chain, Technology or R&D, Personnel, Marketing or Sales
Revenue model
- Filter Product Sales: Greenbutts generates revenue through the sale of its plant-based, biodegradable cigarette filter products to tobacco companies. The company has a manufacturing agreement with 22nd Century Group for production at the Mocksville, North Carolina NASCO facility, targeting both VLN reduced nicotine cigarettes and the contract manufacturing business.
- Licensing / Technology Licensing: The company licenses its patented biodegradable filter technology to tobacco manufacturers. Since 2010, Greenbutts has worked with leading R&D institutions, international tobacco companies, and industry experts to develop and commercialize its filter technology.
Go-to-market motion2 records
Distribution channels2 records
Marketing channels4 records
Greenbutts product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Greenbutts develops and supplies a patented, plant-based, fully biodegradable cigarette filter made from a proprietary blend of all-natural, food-grade fibers using a starch-based binder as a sustainable alternative to cellulose acetate filters. The filter substrate is engineered to operate on existing filter-making machinery, allowing tobacco manufacturers to swap out acetate filters with no equipment re-tooling. The company sells finished filter products and licenses its patented filter technology to international tobacco manufacturers, with manufacturing currently performed through a strategic partnership with 22nd Century Group at the Mocksville, NC NASCO facility.
Product overview
Greenbutts offers a single core product: the Greenbutts™ Filter, a plant-based biodegradable cigarette filter solution. The company has developed a proprietary and patented blend of all-natural, food-grade fibers with a starch-based binder to replace traditional cellulose acetate filters. The filter technology is designed for compatibility with existing filter-making machinery to facilitate industry transition away from plastic-based filters.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Greenbutts™ Filter
Quantifiable outcome
- 6 trillion cigarette butts manufactured annually — the world's most littered plastic item, with 65%+ littered each year
- +2 more outcomes
Companies that use Greenbutts
Customer profileNamed customers1 record
Segments2 records
Ideal customer profiles2 records
Greenbutts technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature2 records
Greenbutts partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
One partnership is on record.
- 22nd Century Groupcore22nd Century Group entered into a multi-year manufacturing agreement with Greenbutts to provide manufacturing space and staff at its Mocksville, North Carolina NASCO facility for producing Greenbutts' innovative plant-based, biodegradable cigarette filter solution. The companies intend to produce sample product to pursue FDA approval, with plans to expand to full commercial production for use in VLN reduced nicotine cigarettes and the contract manufacturing business.
Scale indicators4 records
Recent moves3 records
Expansion highlights5 records
Greenbutts competitors and assessment
Company assessmentBroad incumbents
- British American Tobacco: Global tobacco major with active sustainability programs and a 'Tomorrow's Components' track exploring biodegradable filters. BAT is a likely prospective licensing customer and a benchmark for industry adoption of green filter technology.
- Philip Morris International: Largest international tobacco company and a potential end-customer or acquirer of biodegradable filter technology. PMI has its own sustainability and reduced-risk product programs (e.g., HTP) and is pursuing biodegradable filter solutions, making it both a target buyer and competitive risk.
- 22nd Century Group: Greenbutts' manufacturing partner and primary disclosed customer, focused on VLN reduced-nicotine cigarettes and tobacco contract manufacturing. 22nd Century is both a customer and a potential integrator that could internalize the technology or substitute it.
- Essentra Filter Products: Global filter manufacturer (formerly Filtrona) supplying acetate and specialty cigarette filters to major tobacco companies. It is a broad incumbent with the existing manufacturing footprint, customer relationships, and R&D resources that Greenbutts must compete against for filter supply contracts.
Others
- Eastman Chemical Company: Leading supplier of cellulose acetate tow used in conventional cigarette filters. Eastman is the upstream incumbent whose acetate-based products Greenbutts is directly displacing, and an ecosystem player whose pricing and sustainability strategy strongly influences demand for biodegradable alternatives.
Direct peers
- M.A. Poehlmann & Co. Specialty filter and components manufacturer serving the tobacco industry with a focus on innovative and customized filter designs. Comparable to Greenbutts as a niche filter technology specialist selling differentiated solutions to large tobacco customers.
- Seda International Packaging Group: One of the world's largest independent manufacturers of cigarette filters and packaging. Seda is a direct competitor as it supplies filters to the same global tobacco customers Greenbutts targets, including via biodegradable and specialty filter offerings.
- Hindustan Filter Manufacturing: Indian filter manufacturer producing cellulose acetate and specialty cigarette filters for global tobacco brands. Comparable as a competing filter supplier operating in a lower-cost geography, exerting pricing pressure on drop-in alternatives.
Market position
Strengths4 records
Weaknesses4 records
Competitive moat3 records
Key risks5 records
Key highlights5 records
Customer concentration
Greenbutts social profiles
Digital presenceGreenbutts financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Greenbutts leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles1 record
Greenbutts funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds7 records
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Greenbutts M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Greenbutts
What does Greenbutts do?
Greenbutts develops and supplies a patented, plant-based, fully biodegradable cigarette filter made from a proprietary blend of all-natural, food-grade fibers using a starch-based binder as a sustainable alternative to cellulose acetate filters. The filter substrate is engineered to operate on existing filter-making machinery, allowing tobacco manufacturers to swap out acetate filters with no equipment re-tooling. The company sells finished filter products and licenses its patented filter technology to international tobacco manufacturers, with manufacturing currently performed through a strategic partnership with 22nd Century Group at the Mocksville, NC NASCO facility.
Is Greenbutts a public or private company?
Greenbutts is a private company. It is classified as founder individual operated bootstrapped and is currently operating.
When was Greenbutts founded?
Greenbutts was founded in 2010. It employs 1 to 10 people.
Where is Greenbutts based?
Greenbutts is headquartered in San Diego, United States, in the North America region.
How does Greenbutts make money?
Two revenue lines are on record. Filter Product Sales are the primary driver. The others are licensing / Technology Licensing.
Who are Greenbutts's main competitors?
Broad incumbents on record are British American Tobacco, Philip Morris International, 22nd Century Group and Essentra Filter Products. Eastman Chemical Company is listed as an others. Direct peers are M.A. Poehlmann & Co., Seda International Packaging Group and Hindustan Filter Manufacturing.
Does Greenbutts have an API?
No public API is recorded for Greenbutts.
What industry is Greenbutts in?
Greenbutts's product category is Biodegradable Cigarette Filters. Its primary akta.pro industry code is CRADAJAA, Cigarettes Manufacturing & Brands. Its NAICS code is 312230 and its SIC code is 2111.