traceless produces a natural plastic substitute from plant-based waste materials. The company has now announced the location for its first production plant. Large-scale production will start in Hamburg in the existing buildings of the previous owner, Backhaus Wedemann.
“This location is a real stroke of luck for us. We are delighted that we can now build our first large production facility here in Hamburg - this is where we founded traceless and took our first steps out of science. We are delighted that the previous owner, Franziska Wedemann, agreed to sell the building to a young company like us. As pioneers, we want to provide a fresh impetus for a green, bio-based industry here and hope to attract many more companies.”
Anne Lamp, traceless‘ co-founder and CEO
The traditional Wedemann bakery was located at the site until 2022. Franziska Wedemann, Chairwoman of the Wirtschaftsverein für den Hamburger Süden e.V. and former Managing Partner of Backhaus Wedemann, commented positively on the handover: „When this production site started operations in 1981, it was one of the most modern and energy-efficient bakeries. The closure of this site marks the end of a 130-year history of a successful family business to an end. With Traceless, a new great and forward-looking company will write its own history at this location. I am delighted about this and wish the two founders and their team every success!“
The building for the new production plant covers an area of around 4000 square metres. Planned is a Annual production volume of several thousand tonnes of traceless granulate per year, with production scheduled to start in 2025. For the first regular market entry, traceless has already concluded initial purchase agreements with European brand owners and processors. The successful EUR 36.6 million financing round for the construction of the plant was announced in September 2023. Various investors and a local banking consortium are involved. The project is being funded with EUR 5,128,401 from the Environmental Innovation Programme of the Federal Ministry for the Environment, Nature Conservation, Nuclear Safety and Consumer Protection (BMUV).
“Now that we were able to announce the financing last September, construction can finally get underway. An exciting phase is beginning for us here in Harburg. The demo plant is the first step towards industrialising our technology. Here we want to show that we can actually produce our material on a large scale and competitively. This step is essential for our goal of making a real difference in solving plastic pollution.“
Johanna Baare, traceless‘ co-founder and COO
With the expansion of the production team to around 90 people, traceless will have around create forty new jobs and skilled industrial workers attract. By locating in the south of Hamburg, traceless aims to characterise the region as a location for innovation, provide an impetus for the development of a bio-based industry and decisively advance the bioeconomy in Germany.
The traceless-material is a natural plastic substitute that is made from plant residues from the agricultural industry is obtained. The new material is naturally regenerative and certified plastic-free, bio-based and home-compostable. The resource-saving process saves 91 per cent CO2 emissions are saved. The company produces the material in the form of granulate, which is processed into cast parts, flexible films or coatings using standard processing technologies can be used. The material can replace plastic in products that are difficult to recycle or easily end up in the environment - from disposable products and rigid and flexible packaging to paper and cardboard coatings.
Source: traceless
