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In Conversation with Balena: Scaling circular materials

The Fashion for Good team interviewed Balena's founder and CEO, David Roubach, to learn more about the innovator’s story, technology, challenges, and successes and showcase innovations that are driving tangible change in the industry and leading the path to scale.
 Image by Balena

 

4 April 2025

 

Can you tell us about Balena, how it started, and what the organisation does?

Balena was founded with a bold mission: to revolutionise materials and transform industries by replacing traditional plastics with circular, high-performance alternatives. We saw a fundamental gap—most materials today are designed without a clear end-of-life solution, leading to waste and pollution. Our goal is to change that by enabling brands to create products that maintain performance while being fully recyclable or biodegradable.

At the core of our innovation is the BioCir® material range—a patented portfolio of biopolymers that are biobased, biodegradable, and recyclable. These materials provide brands with multi-end-of-life solutions, allowing them to maintain control over a product’s lifecycle—from creation to its ability to degrade on demand. Unlike conventional bioplastics, which often compromise on durability or functionality, BioCir® materials are engineered to deliver exceptional strength, flexibility, and processing compatibility for mass production through injection molding, extrusion, and 3D printing.

Balena works closely with brands across fashion, footwear, accessories, automotive, and 3D printing to implement scalable circular solutions—bridging the gap between material science and real-world product innovation. By combining advanced formulations with design knowledge and an end-of-life network, we’re making sustainability an achievable standard rather than an aspiration.

What problem is your innovation solving and how does the technology work? 

Everything around us is made from plastic—we need plastic, but we need better plastic. The problem is that most plastics today are designed without a clear end-of-life, leading to waste, pollution, and recycling challenges. Balena’s BioCir® material range is a better plastic—biobased, biodegradable, and recyclable. It’s engineered to offer high performance like conventional plastics but with multi-end-of-life solutions, meaning it can be recycled, industrially composted, or degraded on demand under specific conditions.

The technology works by combining biobased polymers with precisely designed degradation triggers, ensuring durability during use but controlled breakdown at the end of life. BioCir® materials seamlessly integrate into existing manufacturing methods like injection moulding, extrusion, and 3D printing, making it easy for brands to switch without changing their processes.With BioCir®, we’re making sustainability practical—helping brands create better products with better materials while keeping plastics in the loop, not in the landfill.

What have been the biggest successes so far? 

Our biggest success has been proving that circular materials can scale. We’ve partnered with Stella McCartney, Vivobarefoot, Forever, Lemon Jelly, and more, successfully integrating BioCir® materials into their production workflows. These collaborations show that brands don’t have to choose between performance and sustainability—they can have both.

Beyond commercial success, Balena has received prestigious industry recognition, winning the Red Dot Design Award and the Seoul Design Award, and being shortlisted for the Dezeen Design Awards 2024. As a Fashion for Good member, we collaborate with global pioneers to push circularity forward.

In 3D printing, we’ve worked with various visionary designers such as Brigitte Kock, Zulu Kuki, and to showcase fully circular designs. Our commercial partnership with Recreus has also made BioCir® materials available to designers worldwide through Balena.Filaflex, expanding access to sustainable 3D printing.

By working across fashion, footwear, accessories, and 3D printing, we’re proving that circularity is not just possible—it’s already happening.


What role does collaboration play in bringing innovations to scale?

Collaboration is at the heart of everything we do. Material innovation alone is not enough—we need partnerships with designers, brands, and supply chain stakeholders to implement real change. By working directly with brands, manufacturers, and recycling networks, we ensure that our materials are not only technically advanced but also logistically and commercially viable at scale.


How has Fashion for Good played a role in your journey so far?

Fashion for Good has been a game-changer for Balena, helping us connect with industry leaders who share our vision for circular materials. Through their accelerator programs, we’ve had the opportunity to showcase our innovations directly to brands looking for sustainable solutions and receive invaluable feedback from experts across the industry.

Beyond the technical validation, being part of Fashion for Good has allowed us to attend key events, meet forward-thinking designers, and collaborate with pioneers who are pushing sustainability forward. Their support has helped us navigate the complexities of material adoption—ensuring that BioCir® materials don’t just stay in the lab but make their way into real products, at scale.


What’s next for you? 

We are continuously expanding our material portfolio to provide solutions across various industries. Our focus is on scaling BioCir® Flex and introducing new materials that cater to different product categories, including rigid applications and foams. Additionally, we are building out our end-of-life network, ensuring that brands adopting our materials have practical disposal and recycling solutions. As we move forward, our goal remains the same: making circular materials the norm rather than the exception.

Lastly, what advice would you give consumers trying to be more sustainable?

Sustainability isn’t just about individual choices—it’s about demanding better solutions from the brands you love. Look beyond green claims and ask: What is this product made of? Can it be truly recycled or responsibly disposed of? Consumers have immense power to drive change by supporting companies that prioritise real material innovation and circularity. At Balena, we’re committed to making that choice easier by ensuring our materials enable brands to create products that are designed for a responsible end-of-life.

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