Vivomer; made and unmade by microbes.

With 95% of beauty packaging being thrown away, this category poses a huge threat to environmental and human health yet it still remains relatively underserved for innovative solutions. As a result, techbio company, Shellworks, has identified a gap in the market to create a regenerative alternative to replace single-use plastic for primary beauty packaging.





Working in collaboration with nature, Shellworks has developed a petroleum-free material called Vivomer. This material is a bio-based and home compostable alternative to single-use plastic, which is made and unmade by microbes. These microbes have the ability to build up granules, which are extracted to formulate a range of different packaging products including tubs, caps and bespoke forms - providing a drop-in solution for personal care businesses of all sizes.



Vivomer is stable in use, with the ability to be reused, recycled and composted. If disposed of in a compost environment, naturally occurring microbes in the environment see it as a food source and enzymatically break it down, leaving behind no microplastics . The packaging can be used for both oil and water based formulations without the need of additional coatings which provides scope for numerous applications. Shellworks are further exploring end of life pathways by implementing waste management strategies with partners to continually minimise environmental impact. Additionally, on a global scale, there is huge potential to open up the conversation about waste inequality and the concentration of plastic in coastal communities.



To tackle the plastic crisis, scale is needed. This is why Shellworks has developed a material and product that can be used with existing manufacturing equipment, providing an easy-to-adopt solution for incumbent technologies. Shellworks are working hard to expand their range of product forms and material qualities to enable Vivomer to replace almost any plastic product in existence. This demonstrates the potential for scaleability of Vivomer across many other categories such as fashion, food and beverage.