Plastic is, as Isabel Thoma explains, made in an artificial environment from artificial molecules. This material - as has long been known - causes problems with disposal. Far too little plastic can be recycled, and far too much ends up in the environment, causing damage. Traceless is a company that has brought a better solution to the market.
When producing, for example, food or bio-ethanol, plant residues are generated. Instead of disposing of them, as is often the case, Anne Lamp developed a theory for processing these residues. In her process, a new material is formed from the plant residues that serves as a natural plastic substitute. She then founded the start-up Traceless in Hamburg, which has grown into a small industrial company with a global market.
Traceless means without a trace. This is the great advantage of our materials, that they are designed to integrate into the biological cycle. This means they are 100% of natural origin and leave no harmful traces after use.
Isabel Thoma clarifies that the produced material in granule form is neither plastic nor bioplastic. Rather, it is a completely new category.
The technically correct term is 'natural polymer material', meaning a natural substance that has formed at the molecular level in nature. What we do is: we take natural molecules that have grown in the plant, extract them from these plant residues, and use them just as they are in our materials.
You cannot see the difference from plastics, and this material also has many advantages, Thoma states.
A natural material taken from the environment can be returned to the environment after use without the risk of pollution.
The energy-efficient process in the production of the material reduces greenhouse gas emissions.
Economically speaking, this local and natural material can promote independence from fossil raw materials.
Biodegradable, it can be composted.
To advance the use of this material, as Isabel Thoma knows, a change in the rules is needed. Plastic is still cheaper than natural materials, like those from traceless, despite price increases. Regulating the CO2 price is also a way to encourage companies to invest in bio-materials.
