From Garage to Factory

A world without plastic waste: The founders of Traceless Materials, CEO Dr. Anne Lamp and COO Johanna Baare, are fully committed to achieving this ambitious goal. With a completely new product, they are seeking to revolutionize the plastics industry and to wage war on plastic pollution. 

The German start-up has developed an innovative solution: a light-orange crystalline substance that can be further processed into a sustainable alternative to plastic. The bio-based granulate “Traceless”, as the founders call it, has similar properties to plastic but is completely biodegradable under natural composting conditions — within a record time of two to twelve weeks depending on thickness.

For its unique commitment to sustainability, the company was recognized by the 2022 German Founders Award as winner in the “StartUp” Category. Investors, too, are convinced of the start-up’s successful future. In a large-scale financing round in September 2023, the young entrepreneurs secured 36.6 million euros, marking a milestone expected to usher in a breakthrough. The funding flows into the first industrial-scale facility in Hamburg. Its construction began in 2024. “By scaling up our innovative technology, we’re demonstrating that it’s possible for the industry to be climate-friendly, circular, resilient, and regenerative,” says Anne Lamp. The Traceless start-up expects industrial production to bring a substantial increase in its customer base. And this new plant in Hamburg is just an interim step on the road to full industrial production. “Industrial-scale production will make us competitive in terms of price,” says Johanna Baare. “Step by step, we’ll be able to close the price gap between our products and conventional plastics.”