traceless opens its first large-scale production facility in Hamburg-Harburg. The facility sees plant-based residues from the agricultural industry processed into a material used as a natural plastic substitute. This milestone marks a significant moment in scaling up its material technology.
Traceless
Traceless opens its first large-scale production facility for nature-based materials
Spanning around 4,000 square meters, the new headquarters in Hamburg-Harburg brings together production, sales, product and technology development, as well as logistics and administration. With a capacity of approximately 3,000 tons of traceless material per year, the facility will serve paper and packaging manufacturer Mondi, the e-commerce company OTTO, and the distribution partner Biesterfeld. The plant technology was developed in-house. The company’s pilot plant in Buchholz i.d.N will be relocated to the site, with the investment volume for the plant exceeding €20 million.
“With this plant, our mission is entering a new phase,” said Dr Anne Lamp, CEO and Founder of traceless. “We are literally breaking new ground here: We are creating the world’s first industrial production capacities for thermoplastic natural polymers that can be used directly as plastic substitutes. Together with our partners, we are celebrating today the launch of an innovative materials industry that is circular, clean, and future-oriented.”
Carsten Schneider, Federal Minister for the Environment, Climate Action, Nature Conservation and Nuclear Safety, added, “This is the sort of idea we need for effective climate and environmental protection: an innovative biomaterial that requires no fossil fuels, is made from plant-based residues and is completely biodegradable, solves several problems at once. It can replace conventional plastic and reduce CO2 emissions and water consumption. This technology helps combat plastic pollution, protects wildlife and makes us less dependent on fossil fuel imports from abroad. The industrial plant is one of many ‘Made in Germany’ success stories that are driving innovation and new economic strength through environmental technologies.”
Natural polymers breakthrough
Natural polymers like cellulose, lignin, starch, or proteins are long-chain molecules of natural origin that form the basis for products like paper and cotton. New materials, powered by groundbreaking technologies, are significantly expanding the range of applications for natural polymers. traceless’ patented technology relies on a special extraction process, utilising natural polymers from plant-based industry residues without modification of their natural chemical structure. The resulting granulates are bio-based and home-compostable.
Katharina Fegebank, Senator for the Environment, Climate, Energy and Agriculture, underlined the relevance of the project, commenting, “Cutting-edge research and the circular economy in the lab are turning into real industrial production—this is a huge success for Hamburg as a hub for science and business. Plastic waste is one of the biggest burdens on our environment. traceless tackles this problem at its root: By replacing fossil-based petroleum with plant-based residues, we not only avoid massive mountains of waste but also drastically reduce climate-damaging CO2 emissions. Today, this demonstrates in a very practical way that our climate-neutral transformation and industrial value creation are not opposites but rather drive our city forward hand in hand.”