Renaissance BioScience and Biome Bioplastics are working together on a two-year Canada–UK project valued at up to C$1.5 million (£814,000) to develop renewable bioplastic building blocks aimed at packaging, personal care, health and consumer goods.
The work will focus on using yeast and bacterial fermentation to produce bio-based materials that could replace petroleum-derived inputs. According to the companies, the project will include strain engineering and fermentation trials in Canada and the UK, followed by process optimisation and the production of test samples for global partners in packaging and personal care.
The partners say the aim is to establish a scalable and cost-effective route to renewable plastics that reduces fossil-fuel dependence, minimises waste, and meets performance requirements for everyday applications.
The collaboration is supported by the National Research Council of Canada Industrial Research Assistance Program (NRC IRAP) and Innovate UK.
Dr John Husnik, Renaissance’s CSO and office of the CEO, said, “Biome Bioplastics is a recognised leader in sustainable materials, and together our expertise can deliver impactful renewable solutions that address plastic pollution while meeting the growing demand for high-performance alternatives.”
Paul Mines, CEO at Biome Bioplastics, said the collaboration combines Renaissance’s microbial engineering capability with Biome’s materials development expertise to “accelerate the transition to bioplastics made from renewable sources”.
Biome Bioplastics develops bio-based plastics from its UK headquarters and offices in Canada and the USA. Renaissance BioScience is a yeast bioengineering company based in Vancouver.
