The Netherlands-based Healix, a clean-tech company and pioneer in the fight against plastic soup (all of the plastic polluting the ocean), announced that it has secured fresh funding from LIOF.
Healix produces high-quality circular polymers from discarded rope and nets with partners like The Ocean Cleanup, reducing the ecological impact of the plastics industry.
LIOF, the regional development company for Limburg, is investing in Healix as part of its dedication to promoting circular economy leaders. This investment aims to boost both environmental sustainability and the local economy.
A strategic investment
LIOF monitored Healix’s progress and witnessed their ambitious idea transforming into a fully bricks and mortar recycling plant in record time.
Stefan Vocks, investment manager scale-ups at NV Industriebank LIOF says, “This investment from LIOF’s Participation Fund will be used to optimise the plant in Maastricht, set up by Marcel Alberts at the end of 2021.”
Annemoon Borst, another investment manager, adds, “But our ambitions go beyond Maastricht. This plant serves as a blueprint for international scale-up in the near future, with a focus on key locations for waste stream collection. Plans for this are already in the pipeline.”
Marcel Alberts, CEO & founder of Healix says, “Everyone believes that having a circular economy is key to addressing the problems we now face in terms of climate, biodiversity, and pollution. However, Healix’s ambitions in this area are being curtailed by an unfavorable economic climate, low prices for virgin plastics, and delays to legislation on plastics recycling.”
“We’re excited to join forces with LIOF. Besides being an investor from our home province, they share our social and sustainable values and enable us to continue our mission.”
“This strategic investment will enable us to scale up while innovating and optimizing our operations in Maastricht, consolidating our position, and – of course – bringing about the positive change that the plastics chain needs.”
Creating circular value chains for plastic fiber waste
Plastics poses a significant threat to the environment. The Plastic Soup Foundation reports that over eight million metric tons of plastic find their way into the oceans annually, with discarded rope and nets being particularly harmful to marine life. The majority of plastic pollution originates from the mainland.
For instance, agriculture alone uses 12 million metric tons of plastic each year, but only 6.5 per cent of it gets recycled.
Despite the well-documented risks, global plastic consumption continues to increase, with annual production projected to quadruple to 1,480 million metric tons by 2050. Addressing this issue is crucial for environmental preservation.
This is where Healix looks to make a difference. Founded in 2021, the Dutch company is addressing the plastic pollution issue by converting discarded rope and nets from agriculture and fisheries into certified circular polymers in pellet form.
The company aims to promote circular materials over virgin plastics and collaborate closely with partners who collect waste streams. Industry leaders like Tama Group and LC Packaging use Healix’s granules as a component in their products, contributing to a sustainable approach that extracts valuable raw materials from waste streams that would otherwise be discarded.
According to Healix, this process aligns with the goal of reducing plastic pollution and promoting a circular economy.
Innovative recycling process
Healix’s production process also reduces CO2 emissions (resulting in a 50,000 metric ton reduction over five years) and fossil fuel consumption.
“Petroleum is used to produce the conventional material for rope and nets. Our circular polymers’ carbon footprint is four times smaller than the footprint of that conventional material. That’s how we achieve such a huge reduction,” says, Healix founder, Marcel Alberts.
Brief about LIOF
LIOF offers comprehensive support to innovative businesses. It offers guidance, networking opportunities, and financing to startups, scale-ups, and small business owners with innovative ideas, business plans, or funding needs.
The firm also assists businesses from both the Netherlands and abroad looking to establish operations in Limburg. It actively promote cross-border collaborations and offer advice on international business endeavors.
In collaboration with businesses and partners, LIOF is dedicated to advancing Limburg’s development by focusing on key transitions in energy, circular economy, health, and digitalisation, with the goal of creating a smarter, more sustainable, and healthier Limburg.