Pack2Earth: the mountain adventurers tackling plastic pollution

The story of Pack2Earth began far from laboratories or boardrooms. Co-founders Françoise de Valera and Glenn Du Pree, both avid trail runners and long-distance hikers, noticed a troubling pattern: sportspeople leaving behind empty gel sachets and snack wrappers in nature. So, they asked themselves a simple but radical question: what if packaging could simply disappear if left outdoors?

Initially, the idea centered on sports nutrition – products that require durable, long-shelf-life packaging. They realised that a simple solution was not currently available. Instead of giving up, they hired engineers and chemists, built prototypes based on plant and mineral materials, and secured their first grant in 2017. This determination marked the beginning of Pack2Earth – a company now ascending to impressive heights.

The challenge they set out to tackle is staggering. Each year, the world produces over 450 million tonnes of plastic (1), much of it used only once. Plastic pollution underscores both the lobbying power of fossil-fuel industries and the failure of governments to reach consensus on ambitious global action. A shocking 91% is never recycled (2), and contaminated food packaging is often deemed unrecyclable from the start. Even so-called “sustainable” alternatives like recycled plastic fall short as they still release microplastics, carry toxins, and require virgin plastic inputs after a few cycles.

The result is a tide of pollution that clogs landfills, pollutes oceans, and leaches into ecosystems. Pack2Earth is tackling this head-on with home-compostable packaging. Unlike industrial compostables that often linger as microplastics, Pack2Earth’s materials are fully biodegradable at ambient temperature, whether in our homes, landfills or even open air.

From the very beginning, Pack2Earth has followed a determined path of growth. In late 2017, the team secured its first €60,000 grant from Spain’s Ministry of Science, which enabled them to develop a business plan and create initial prototypes. These early successes paved the way for a significantly larger Horizon 2020 grant of €1.9 million, allowing the startup to expand its R&D efforts and establish a specialised team of chemists and packaging engineers.

This steady investment in science and people has resulted in two market-ready, patented materials. The first is a flexible film, available in three thicknesses, with a technology readiness level (TRL) of 9 (the highest possible) and is currently being purchased by clients for packaging dry, semi-liquid, and even liquid products with long shelf-life requirements.

The second is an injection material, designed to be moulded into durable objects such as cups, bowls, and caps. While it is already usable in non-food contact applications, the formulation is being fine-tuned so that within months it will also be suitable for food contact, opening the door to a wide range of new markets. “With our injection material, you can make articles that can actually be reused up to 200 times before you compost them,” explains Françoise. “That ties in perfectly with the new EU Packaging and Packaging Waste Regulation, which focuses not just on recyclability but also reusability.”

Commercial traction is beginning to follow the science. Pack2Earth has built a pipeline of over 130 potential clients and has already run pilots with 25 of them, carefully prioritising those with the most strategic potential. Several of these pilots are now reaching their conclusion, with the first contracts signed and revenues starting to flow. Although revenues are still incipient, the company has already signed €150,000 in commercial deals, a milestone that signals a shift from research to real-world impact. “Although our revenues are still small, we are finally turning pilots into recurring business,” says Françoise.

Pack2Earth isn’t only about replacing plastics; it is about protecting human health and reshaping our relationship with everyday materials. The environmental case for compostable packaging is clear, but the founders were shocked by the health implications of fossil plastics. Scientists are concerned about the health risks of ingesting large quantities of microplastics, and there is ongoing research to understand the links with specific diseases.

By shifting the conversation from climate and pollution to something deeply personal - the health of individuals and their families - Pack2Earth hopes to accelerate behavioural change and adoption of its solutions. As Françoise notes, “Almost everyone worries about their own health and the health of their children. That’s what can change mindsets.”

The company has set ambitious but measurable targets: by 2030, its materials aim to save 186,000 metric tons of fossil plastic, equivalent to preventing around 366,000 metric tons of CO₂ emissions.

Looking ahead, the team is also working on sourcing raw materials from agro-industrial side streams (essentially the by-products of food production) to make its formulations even more sustainable and fully European.

EIT Food has been a pivotal partner throughout Pack2Earth’s journey. During the pandemic, the startup benefited from the COVID-19 Bridge Fund, which provided the stability to continue product development at a critical moment. Later, through the EIT FAN accelerator, Pack2Earth received validation, mentoring, and additional equity investment. Pack2Earth seized this opportunity and was the winner of the 2024 EIT Food FAN Packaging Tech Validation Award!

These opportunities helped the team move from research and prototypes to a commercial stage.

To support the crucial next stage of transition from R&D to commercialisation, the company closed a €1.6 million investment round in 2025, led by Swanlaab Venture Factory. This injection of capital is helping Pack2Earth finance first production batches, complete additional certifications and life cycle analyses, and strengthen its sales and AI formulation teams. As Françoise reflects, “Raising money has been very, very hard, and very stressful, but having this new round behind us puts us on much more solid footing to support our clients and scale our impact.”

This milestone marks a clear trajectory from early-stage innovation to a recognised player in the sustainable packaging sector.

Looking ahead, Pack2Earth is preparing for a new phase of growth. The team, currently 14 people strong, will expand with new expertise in artificial intelligence to accelerate the development of next-generation materials. “AI will help us narrow down the combinations of ingredients we test in the lab,” explains Françoise. “Instead of experimenting with hundreds of different versions, we can focus on just a handful of the most promising ones, saving time and resources while improving cost-efficiency.”

On the product side, the company is pushing beyond films and injection moulding into thermoformed trays and even compostable bottles. The first prototypes of bottles - one of the most widely used and problematic plastic items worldwide - have already been created by the team, opening the door to applications from water packaging to pharmaceuticals. The ambition is to replace materials like PET, which, even when marketed as recycled, still require virgin plastic inputs and contain substances such as antimony that can be harmful.

With supportive European regulations, such as the Packaging and Packaging Waste Regulation (PPWR), soon coming into force, and growing demand from international markets, the conditions for scale are aligning. India, for example, is moving towards making home-compostable packaging compulsory, while certain U.S. states such as California and Oregon are showing strong momentum for compostable solutions. Pack2Earth’s strategy of licensing its technology locally positions it to expand globally without compromising sustainability. As Françoise sums it up, “It’s not just about scaling a business. It’s about scaling impact, while ensuring production stays close to the people and communities who will benefit most from healthier, safer materials.”

1. Our World in Data. Plastic Pollution. Accessed August 2025
2. National Geographic. (2018). A whopping 91% of plastic isn't recycled