De-fossilizing plastics with the wood polymer lignin

Discover how Lignin Industries is turning lignin from papermaking waste into recyclable, cost-effective bioplastics, challenging fossil-based plastics head-on with CEO Fredrik Malmfors.

Image by Stanislav Churikov on Unsplash

Redesigning Plastics from the Inside Out: How Lignin Industries Is Shaping a New Bio-Based Future

When we think of plastics, we think of waste. We think of oceans choked with bags, landfills bursting with packaging, and a fossil-fueled industry that just won’t quit. But what if we could reimagine plastics from their very first moment—not as a wasteful byproduct of oil, but as a sustainable innovation rooted in nature?

This is the mission of Lignin Industries, a Swedish startup with an ambitious goal: replacing fossil-based plastics with a smarter, scalable solution made from lignin, one of the most abundant biopolymers on the planet.

What Is Lignin and Why Should You Care?

Lignin is what gives plants their structure. It’s the natural polymer that makes trees stand tall and vegetables crunchy. But it also happens to be a byproduct of the paper-making and agricultural industries and until now, it was mostly burned as fuel.

That means every time a sheet of paper is produced, an almost equal amount of lignin ends up sidelined. Over 50 million tons are generated annually, with a whopping 98% incinerated. That’s an enormous, untapped stream of bio-based potential.

Replacing Fossil Plastics from the Ground Up

Lignin Industries saw an opportunity in this so-called waste. Instead of burning lignin, they combine it with bio-oils to produce Renol, a proprietary bioplastic compound that can replace up to 40% of conventional polymers like ABS, polypropylene (PP), and polyethylene (PE).

The kicker? Renol is a drop-in solution. That means it integrates seamlessly into the existing plastics manufacturing infrastructure. No new machines. No complicated processes. Just a cleaner, more sustainable alternative that behaves like traditional plastic, but with a fraction of the carbon footprint.

Why It Matters: The Carbon Math

Let’s talk numbers. ABS, a commonly used plastic, emits around 4.5 kg of CO2 per kilogram produced. Lignin Industries' Renol has a footprint of -1.5 kg CO2 per kg. That’s not just low, that’s negative emissions. Combine Renol with recycled polymers, and suddenly net-zero plastic production isn’t just theory. It’s happening.

This is vital, considering plastics are expected to account for up to 20% of global oil consumption by 2050. The global plastics industry is already responsible for around 4% of greenhouse gas emissions, mostly during the production phase. With scalable innovations like Renol, there’s now a real pathway to defossilize one of the most stubborn sectors of our economy.

The Circular Advantage

Renol doesn’t just come from waste. It can go back into the cycle too. Thanks to lignin’s natural antioxidant properties, products made with Renol can be recycled in open-loop systems, meaning they hold up well even after multiple uses and are fully compatible with standard household plastic recycling streams.

In short: bio-based, recyclable, and cost-efficient.

From Kitchen Experiment to Market Disruption

Founded by Dr. Christopher Carrick, Lignin Industries started with an experiment in a kitchen oven and a few Star Wars-shaped molds. Today, it operates a demo-scale production facility in Knivsta, north of Stockholm, and is scaling quickly through partnerships with toll compounders and large brand owners.

They're already supplying industries like e-commerce packaging with their woody-scented ecomBags and are working with consumer electronics and compounders across Europe.

Bridging the Green Premium Gap

The team at Lignin Industries knows that one of the main barriers to sustainable plastics is cost. Many bio-based alternatives are prohibitively expensive and complex to scale. Renol changes that: no massive factories, no exotic processes, and no food-based feedstocks. Just smart chemistry using a waste stream that already exists in huge volumes.

As pressure mounts from legislation like the EU's Packaging and Packaging Waste Regulation (PPWR), more brands are looking for alternatives that won’t require costly overhauls. Lignin Industries is proving that being sustainable doesn't have to mean being slow or expensive.

A Local-to-Local Vision

The future isn’t just fossil-free. It’s decentralized. Lignin Industries is building a local-to-local model, sourcing lignin from nearby forestry and agricultural operations, processing it in-region, and delivering materials to local manufacturers. That reduces emissions from transport and keeps value in local economies.

Conclusion: Sustainable Plastics Without the Greenwashing

Let’s be clear: not all bioplastics are created equal. Many rely on crops that compete with food production. Others can’t be recycled. Lignin Industries is taking a smarter route, using waste, reducing emissions, and playing nice with existing infrastructure.

It’s not about replacing plastic with something novel. It’s about redesigning the system from the inside out.

Main Takeaways:

• Lignin Industries turns lignin, a paper and agricultural byproduct, into drop-in bioplastics.

• Their product, Renol, can replace up to 40% of traditional plastics like ABS, PP, and PE.

• Renol is recyclable in open-loop systems and reduces carbon emissions dramatically.

• It integrates into existing infrastructure and avoids the "green premium" problem.

• With growing regulation, Renol offers a realistic path to net-zero plastics at scale.

Listen to the full interview with CEO Fredrik Malmfors on the bioCircular Loop Podcast!