A Plant-Based Plastic Alternative Made by Microbes
Liquidplant is a plant-based plastic alternative that microbes make from corn sugar, castor oil and flaxseed oil, supplied as pellets for existing factories.
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Liquidplant
A Plant-Based Plastic Alternative Made by Microbes
von Holzhausen calls itself "a team of material innovators using science to replace plastic with plants." Founder Vicki von Holzhausen, a former car designer, started the company by developing a vegan leather that could compete with animal leather, and the team has since widened its range of materials. Its newest focus is Liquidplant, a plant-based plastic alternative that the company says is the first of its kind to be fully plant-based and high-performing. The company supplies materials to the footwear, fashion, tech, furniture, aviation and automotive industries.
What It Is Made From
The site names three plant inputs. Corn sugar comes from agricultural byproducts such as corn cobs. Castor oil comes from a non-food crop that tolerates drought and saline conditions. Flaxseed oil comes from a crop that grows in harsh conditions, and the page says using all of it leaves no waste. The material is made by biofermentation, which means microbes turn these renewable inputs into the polymer through a biological process, not conventional petrochemical processing. In the company's words, "microbes do the heavy lifting by transforming renewable plant inputs."
Forms and Uses
Liquidplant is supplied as pellets, which it says can run through existing manufacturing lines as a drop-in replacement. It also comes as filament, flexible sheet, pliable film, foam and swatches. The page lists foam, film, filament, knitted and woven textiles, injection-molded parts and coated fabrics as applications. It says the material withstands temperatures from -40 to 212+ °F. Nine colors are offered, drawn from natural inputs such as spirulina extract, chlorophyll from wild alfalfa and lampblack from burned bamboo.
End of Life and Proof
von Holzhausen calls Liquidplant biodegradable in a landfill and recyclable into applications of equal value. Its Our Story page lists carbon-14 testing for 100% bio-based content, and an image on the Liquidplant page shows a "100% Bio-Certified" result from Beta Analytic. The pages give no details of the testing. They also give no carbon footprint or lifecycle figures, so the environmental savings are not quantified. These claims are the company's own.
From Filament to Design Objects
The LP Arc is a 3D-printed design piece that uses Liquidplant as a printing filament, which the page says offers "excellent print consistency, durability, and dimensional stability." It is described as "Printed bespoke" and is inspired by the architecture of Santiago Calatrava, with a "liquid scaffolding" that places material only where it is needed. LP Slide, LP Loop, the Ripple Case and the Ripple Shoe are listed as further case studies. Ordering goes through a material inquiry form, and the pages give no minimum orders or lead times.
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