RETRN’s platform technology upcycles abundantly available plant wastes to deliver a unique set of recyclable and fully biodegradable barrier-coating materials for fiber-based sustainable food packaging that combine high performance and lower price compared to other bioplastics, enabling manufacturers to offer more lines of products that replace plastic in packaging.
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Chris Thomas
Chris Thomas is the CEO and co-founder of RETRN. His journey started in grad school at SUNY College of Environmental Science and Forestry with a complex question: if a continual increase in global plastic pollution is inevitable with current industrial models, then what fundamental changes can be made to fix this? Thomas pursued a solution through training at the Beijing Forestry University on upcycling lignocellulosic biomass into high-valuable materials, and through work with another bioplastic startup upon returning to the United States full-time to finish his Ph.D.
Ryan Scheel is co-founder and Chief Science Officer of RETRN, a biotechnology company on a mission to transform the plastics economy by providing sustainable bioplastic coatings for paper-based food packaging. Scheel has been researching and developing biomaterial technologies for over a decade, completing a B.Sc. and Ph.D. in biochemistry at SUNY College of Environmental Science and Forestry followed by four years of postdoctoral research.
TECHNOLOGY
Critical Need
Environmental plastic pollution derived from packaging is rapidly increasing, resulting in the proliferation of microplastics in food and water. While consumers and governments increasingly recognize the dangers of microplastics and demand safer alternatives from the packaging industry, corporations are left without a viable answer as materials that combine sustainability, economic viability, and performance do not yet exist to solve this problem at a scale that matters.
Technology Vision
RETRN has engineered a solution that meets all of these criteria with an advanced platform of new materials that are safe, cost-effective, home-compostable, and marine-biodegradable. By creating high-performing materials from abundant plant wastes such as brewers’ spent grains or paper mill rejects, this new technology will meet the needs of the packaging industry for creating sustainable products across the entire sector, replacing toxic plastic in products—from food serviceware cups and to-go trays to salad packs, snack bags, and pet food containers.
Potential for Impact
RETRN's solution is a key part of our sustainable future—one in which all packaging is safe and simple to recycle or throw in your home compost. This transition will make use of millions of tons of wasted or underutilized materials, prevent millions of tons of greenhouse gases from entering the atmosphere, and most importantly, help shape a world where future generations can enjoy clean water and food free from harmful packaging byproducts.
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