Company: Bpacks
Founder: Mikhail Skalkin
Website: https://www.bpacks.eco/
About Bpacks
Bpacks is a startup that has developed the world’s first bark packaging technology to replace seamlessly plastic materials. The new technology is fully compatible with existing production streams and targets the $384 billion global plastic packaging market, facilitating the shift to eco-packaging.
Its 300-square-meter R&D center enables the production of both finished packaging and granules as substitutes for plastic pellets.
The bark-based pellets’ production process closely resembles that of polymers and doesn’t require capital investments to begin molding, since the manufacturing process mirrors that of plastic production. The startup is crafting packaging that is 100% bio-based, with up to 75% of materials sourced from production waste. The company also utilises pre-owned equipment, which helps decrease CO2 emissions.
Utilising bark, waste of wood production, as its primary raw material, Bpacks ensures that forest resources are not further strained. With estimated bark production levels between 300 and 400 million m3 annually, the startup leverages this abundant resource to create environmentally friendly packaging solutions.
Furthermore, studies have highlighted the antimicrobial potential of bark extracts from various tree species, enhancing the functionality of Bpacks’ technology, which emits up to six times fewer CO2 emissions compared to traditional plastic production methods.
Founded by an experienced team of entrepreneurs and Ph.D. scientists, and backed by an international advisory board, Bpacks is a circular economy startup operating in Europe and the United Kingdom. The company’s CEO and co-founder, Mikhail Skalkin, has an extensive entrepreneurial background, including experience in M&A transactions involving large financial companies in Eastern Europe.
The founding team also includes Lev Bolshakov, who has a proven record in corporate finance, startup valuations, and M&A, and has closed deals surpassing $300 million in value, Nikolay Semenov, Ph.D., a researcher, engineer, and an expert in polymer materials science.
Semenov is in charge of leading the firm’s R&D innovations together with Aleksandra Nešić, Ph.D., who has extensive experience obtaining and characterising active substances from plants and organic materials. Bpacks is backed by a strong advisory board of international scientists such as professor Maximilian Lackner, Ph.D., a process chemist and engineer with over 200 articles published.
Check out what TechRound can do for your business: SEO, PR, HR Software, Payroll Software, IT, VoIP.