Planet Smart

 

Planet Smart™ is an innovative bio-based materials R&D and manufacturing start-up creating bio-based and biodegradable polymers, particularly superabsorbent polymers.

 

Superabsorbent polymers (SAPs) are a crucial component of modern disposable nappies and sanitary products, designed to efficiently absorb and retain liquids, preventing leaks.  However, conventional SAPs are non-biodegradable and break down into toxic microplastics.  Nappies (or diapers) containing SAPs are one of the top sources of plastic pollution in the world – we are throwing away over 300,000 of nappies per minute, with most of them ending up in landfill or the ocean. They break down into microplastics with 40% of the weight of the nappy being fossil-based SAPs.

 

The founders of Planet Smart™, Maurice Rüttimann and Gerald Marin, met during the Covid Lockdown period, in Brussels, Belgium.  Maurice, a UC Berkeley graduate, was an intern for the European People’s Party in the European Parliament and Gerald, an applied chemist, was working as Sustainability Lead in Global Packaging Innovation at Anheuser-Busch InBev.  They soon discovered they had a shared passion for the environment, and co-founded Rethink Plastic, an NGO focused on promoting innovation towards a microplastic-free world.  While organising river clean-ups, it was clear the top waste items they were collecting were not sachets or plastic bottles, but nappies. To address the scale and complexity of the nappy waste problem, they first trialled reusable nappies in the Philippines, Gerald’s home country.  But the behavioural change of consumers sacrificing convenience for sustainability was too high of a barrier for widespread adoption.

 

Whilst they pursued different paths for a couple of years, Gerald and Maurice joined forces again in 2022, when they launched Planet Smart™ with a focus on developing a more sustainable nappy, without sacrificing convenience or the product’s performance.

 

About 40% of a nappy is superabsorbent polymer, a component that is neither recyclable nor biodegradable. There are some bio-based SAPs available, but they do not have the required absorbency for nappies. So the Planet Smart™ team set about developing their own SAP. The Planet Smart™ team worked to develop and scale their patent-pending SAP, “PlanetSorb” and also developed an additive, “Planet Additive” which is included in the core product and speeds up the biodegradation process. Using the two proprietary products, Planet Smart™ has the technology required to create a sustainable nappy that will decompose in less than 180 days, without any performance trade-offs.

 

The team has been working with the innovation community in the UK to get the support they needed to progress, taking part in both the Carbon13 and Undaunted, partnership between Imperial College London and The Royal Institution, programmes. They have also received funding through Innovate UK.

 

It was whilst on the Undaunted’s Greenhouse accelerator in 2024 that the team decided to take a step back, and broaden their market by seeing superabsorbent polymers as a technology platform, with enormous opportunities for their use in other sanitary products, like feminine care and adult nappies, agriculture and other industry sectors.

 

The Carbon13 programme was invaluable for the team, giving them a broader view of sustainability and environmental, social, and governance (ESG) goals. The team were able to connect with relevant people in the industry to build their carbon case – demonstrating additional environmental benefits in addition to preventing microplastic pollution.

 

The Innovate UK funding supports the development of new Intellectual Property (IP) for the team’s Planet Additive product. They are working on the project with the University of Manchester. The university has state-of-the-art industrial and home composting equipment alongside analytical instruments to test the biodegradability of the Planet Smart materials. As well as giving Planet Smart the opportunity to expand its IP portfolio, the funding is increasing the know-how and expertise of the University of Manchester on biodegradation.

 

The team has had some good initial success linking up with industry. They have several industry advisors, including the ex-director of P&G Ventures and a former production manager of SAP at BASF, who have supported the team with both extensive experience and an unmatched network. Planet Smart™ has also secured a number of “Letters of Intent” and 2 industrial Proof of Concepts (POCs) for the product. They are currently producing PlanetSorb for an upcoming pilot with a feminine pad manufacturer.

 

Planet Smart™ is looking to raise Seed investment in 2025 to fund the next stage of growth and R&D development.  If you are interested in partnering with Planet Smart™  or would just like further information please reach out by email to hello@planetsmart.co.  Please also check out the  Planet Smart™ website.

We’re looking forward to seeing how Planet Smart™ progress!