Evanesce Packaging Solutions is innovating with its patented technology, where a dough made from starch, fiber, and little else is baked into compostable packaging.
Company founder Douglas Horne was an elected government official in British Columbia, Canada, when he came across the technology. “At that time, I felt that we should ban expanded polystyrene (EPS) packaging because of this elegant alternative solution,” he relates. “The technology is so fantastic I left politics to acquire it then surrounded myself with great people to take it to a commercial level. One of the things that always worried me as a regulator was the fact that many of the products that were considered sustainable weren’t. This is.”
More brands, retailers, and consumers are looking for more sustainable options at a competitive price. “EPS and other plastics have done so well in the market because they’re inexpensive, versatile, and can be made into many shapes and forms,” says Horne. “Our products are comparable, though perhaps slightly higher in cost because of the value-added attributes.”
The company has molded many different products.,now including cups. “One of the exciting things that we’re getting into now is a deeper product: cups that look like they’re made of EPS,” said Horne. “These cups offer insulative properties for foodservice markets.”
“I don’t see FPI members as competitors,” Horne says. “I see them as future partners, and I see us growing by licensing our technology and gaining widespread adoption as quickly as possible.” He’s in discussions with a highly interested, major foodservice packaging supplier.
The R&D operations are located in Vienna. But being able to manufacture in the US is crucial, Horne emphasizes. “We’ll move to new molded starch production in early 2022 after we upgrade to our full-scale machines to make millions of units next spring.”
Evanesce Packaging Solutions also offers the first mass-produced biodegradable straws made of modified polylactic acid (PLA) that are equal or cheaper than paper straws, have improved durability, and home-compost within 90 days. The company’s South Carolina plant will be capable of producing millions of compostable straws daily.
