ADVANCED & FUNCTIONAL TECHNOLOGIES FOR BIOCOMPOSITES SL

Their core work

This Spanish SME develops biodegradable PLA (polylactic acid) plastic packaging with improved performance characteristics through nanostructuring and advanced compounding techniques. Their core business is expanding the range of applications where biodegradable plastics can replace conventional packaging materials. They also contribute expertise in bio-based materials to broader circular economy initiatives addressing plastic pollution on land and at sea.

What they specialise in

How they've shifted over time

The company followed a classic SME Instrument trajectory: starting with a feasibility study for their biodegradable PLA packaging concept in 2016 (BlockPLA Phase 1), then scaling up through a larger Phase 2 project in 2018. By 2019, they expanded beyond their core product into the broader bio-based circular economy through SEALIVE, engaging with standardisation, policy, and end-of-life challenges for plastics in marine and land environments.

Moving from single-product development toward systemic involvement in the bio-based plastics value chain, including standards and end-of-life solutions — positioning themselves as material experts rather than just a packaging startup.

How they like to work

Primarily a project leader: they coordinated both BlockPLA phases independently as an SME, demonstrating confidence in driving their own R&D agenda. Their third-party role in the larger SEALIVE consortium (30 partners, 14 countries) shows they can also contribute specialist knowledge to large collaborative efforts. This mix suggests a company that leads when it comes to their core product but joins as a materials expert when broader ecosystem projects need their compounding know-how.

Through the SEALIVE project alone, they connected with partners across 14 countries, giving them a broad European network in the bio-based plastics and circular economy space. Their 30 unique consortium partners represent a substantial contact base for a small company with only three projects.

What sets them apart

They sit at the intersection of materials science and market-ready biodegradable packaging — not a research lab exploring concepts, but an SME that took a product from feasibility to scale-up through the SME Instrument pipeline. Their specific expertise in nanostructured PLA compounding is a narrow but valuable niche, and their involvement in standardisation work means they understand both the technical and regulatory landscape for bio-based plastics in Europe.

Highlights from their portfolio

• BlockPLA
  Full SME Instrument journey from Phase 1 (EUR 50K feasibility) to Phase 2 (EUR 990K scale-up), showing the EU validated their biodegradable packaging concept as commercially viable.
• SEALIVE
  Large Innovation Action tackling plastic pollution across marine and land environments, where they contributed as a third-party materials specialist alongside a 30-partner consortium.