Cleantech Materials Hero

We cannot image a world without textiles, fishing nets, carpets, fibres in car tyres, ropes, and sportswear. Nevertheless, these materials are a major source of pollution. When used, these strong fibres release microplastics that are very harmful to the environment. We strive to tackle this problem at B4Plastics by developing bioplastics that have similar qualities to conventional fossil-based plastics, such as polyesters, polyamides, and elastomers, but are recyclable and biodegradable. These efforts were rewarded by the Cleantech jury by choosing B4Plastics as true Cleantech Materials Hero. And we will proudly wear the title for a year.

Our bioplastics are designed and developed with the key requirements and adequate end-of-life of the target application in mind. These sustainable high-performance bioplastics are created with a unique combination of (mostly) renewable and local resources. The green waste is collected and processed locally to be valorised into bio-based building blocks that we implement into our biopolymer backbone.

For example, B4Plastics’ first FortePlastics products, brought to you as Fortan®, markets our strongest polymer material that is biodegradable in natural habitats. Within this technology platform, we strive for strong material properties while still offering sustainability both at the raw materials side, implementing bio-based content, and at its end-of-life, designed for biodegradability. It is used in all kinds of applications from technical textiles to bioclips.

To win the award, we were judged on:
• The relevance of our innovations.
• The Technical Readiness Level (TRL) level of our materials.
• The impact in Flanders and the international ambitions of B4Plastics.
• The extent to which we can act as an ambassador for Cleantech Flanders.
• The implementation of the Sustainable Development Goals.

B4Plastics entered the final of the Cleantech Hero Materials award alongside Resus and InOpSys. Eventually being named the winner on 14th of November 2022 was a wonderful acknowledgement for our sustainable biomaterials!

Taking into account the growing demand for biodegradable plastics, the jury agreed that developing bioplastics answers a real sustainability issue. Additionally, they mentioned the technology created by B4Plastics has great impact potential in Flanders and internationally. The judges valued the engineering construction of the plastics at the molecular level. Next to that, it is an honour to stand alongside Resus and InOpSys, as well as the other contestants, Bioterra NV, Econcore and Liquisol as fellow frontrunners in cleantech in Flanders. We value these highly innovative developments in Flanders with strong global potential and hope we can all join forces to ensure a more sustainable future. Be sure to check out how these other Flemish innovative and clean technologies unleash sustainable materials to the world.

By redesigning tomorrow’s plastics on a molecular level, we create your dream plastic which accelerates the transition to a more sustainable world.

More information about the award?

Visit the Cleantech Flanders website.

Want to learn more about B4Plastics?

Discover all our technology platforms.

Ready to challenge the future together?

Contact us to discover the sustainable potential of our partnership.