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Solubag develops proprietary, patented materials that provide a water-soluble, non-toxic alternative to conventional single-use plastics. Their core product is a versatile material, formulated from a synthesis of calcium carbide and natural gas, which performs similarly to traditional plastics in various applications but fully dissolves in water, leaving no microplastic residues. This innovative approach allows for the creation of numerous products, including bags, packaging, and personal protective equipment, without requiring significant retooling of existing plastic manufacturing infrastructure.
The company was founded in Chile in 2014 by scientists Roberto Astete and Cristian Olivares. Their foundational insight stemmed from recognizing the environmental persistence of traditional plastics and the limitations of many so-called "biodegradable" alternatives that often require specific industrial conditions or still leave harmful traces. Astete and Olivares engineered a material designed for widespread utility and complete environmental disintegration, tackling plastic pollution at its source.
Solubag's products are adopted by companies across diverse sectors, including food service, healthcare, retail, agriculture, and pet products, seeking to enhance their environmental footprint. The company's vision is to eliminate the hazards of single-use plastic pollution entirely, offering solutions that make sustainability broadly accessible and simple for manufacturers and consumers alike. They aim to fundamentally shift how industries approach packaging and disposables.
Solubag is a climatetech startup developing patented water-soluble materials that dissolve in water within seconds to minutes, replacing single-use plastics like shopping bags, bubble wrap, pet waste bags, gloves, and utensils.[1][2][3][6] It serves B2B customers in consumer packaging, industrial, hazardous materials, food service, and healthcare sectors—such as H-E-B, Sysco, and Frutisa—while also selling direct-to-consumer via its website, addressing plastic pollution by offering functional alternatives that decompose without microplastics or residues.[1][2][6] The company has generated over $450,000 in revenue in the last three years, raised $4.5M in Series A funding led by Exit Ventures in 2024, and operates manufacturing capacity up to 500 million bags per month through partners in China, Chile, Mexico, and the Dominican Republic, with strong growth momentum from U.S. expansion and ongoing product pilots like tampon applicators.[1][2]
Solubag was founded in 2014 in Santiago, Chile, by a group of eco-conscious Chilean scientists, entrepreneurs, and managers who innovated a water-soluble polymer formula originally adapted from gel caps used in vitamins and supplements.[2][3][4][5][6] The idea emerged to combat the global plastic waste crisis, creating a material that mimics plastic's pliability and rigidity but fully dissolves in freshwater or saltwater without residue, earning worldwide patents, SGS certification, and awards like the 2019 Singularity Award.[1][3] Early traction came from quality certifications and initial customers; in 2020, it expanded to the U.S. via Solubag USA (a Florida corporation controlled by Solubag SPA), headquartered in Hallandale Beach, to tap North American markets and scale commercialization in America, Europe, and Africa.[1][2][5]
Solubag rides the surging demand for sustainable packaging amid global bans on single-use plastics and rising consumer awareness, positioning it in the $16B alternatives market fueled by climatetech investments—South Florida alone saw $106M across 16 deals in early 2024.[2] Timing aligns with regulatory pressures (e.g., ocean plastic treaties) and corporate sustainability goals from giants like Amazon and Walmart, which Solubag targets for partnerships to eliminate overlooked plastics in shipping, hygiene, and waste.[3] It influences the ecosystem by enabling easy transitions for industries like grocery, healthcare, and pet care, reducing carbon footprints via lifecycle analysis, and inspiring scalable, drop-in replacements that avoid bioplastic pitfalls.[1][6]
Solubag is primed to capture major market share by scaling U.S. operations, completing rigid extrusion pilots, securing certifications, and landing hyperscaler deals, leveraging its pricing and performance to displace polyethylene and polypropylene.[1][2] Trends like stricter plastic regulations, circular economy mandates, and climatetech funding will accelerate adoption, potentially expanding into beverages, golf products, and global rigid applications. Its influence could evolve from niche innovator to ecosystem enabler, fully realizing a world free of single-use plastic hazards while preserving plastic's utility.[6]