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Meet Activate’s Latest Cohort 2026
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We Spark the transformation of bold ideas into world-changing companies.

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RETRN

RETRN’s platform technology valorizes abundantly available domestic plant byproducts to deliver a unique set of recyclable and fully biodegradable barrier-coating materials for fiber-based food packaging that combine high performance and lower price compared to other biobased materials, enabling manufacturers to offer more lines of products that replace plastic in packaging.

Fellows

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 reliance on imported, petroleum-based plastic liners is a structural cost and supply-chain risk for the packaging industry, then what fundamental changes can be made to fix this? Thomas pursued a solution through training at the Beijing Forestry University on valorizing lignocellulosic biomass into high-valuable materials, and through work with another biobased materials startup upon returning to the United States full-time to finish his Ph.D.

Chris Thomas

Technology

Critical Need

Reliance on imported, petroleum-based plastic liners in packaging creates cost and supply-chain exposure for manufacturers. As buyers and regulators increasingly require alternatives to conventional plastic liners, materials that combine domestic sourcing, economic viability, and performance do not yet exist at the scale the industry needs.

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 creates high-performance, cost-advantaged products across the entire sector, replacing imported plastic liners 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 supports long-term domestic manufacturing competitiveness. It makes use of millions of tons of underutilized domestic feedstock and reduces manufacturers' reliance on imported petrochemical inputs.

Bridging science with entrepreneurship

Where hard tech is transformed into real world impact