A plastic alternative made from bacteria

Season 07 of Startup Pass-port by Frontwalker continues with Episode 16 – Pim Jansen, Chief Operating Officer of Plastilose.   Pim Jansen, Chief Operating Officer of Plastilose, discusses how the company is developing an alternative to the single-use plastic cups used in hospitals and nursing institutions. Made from bacterial cellulose, the cups are designed to replace the plastic versions currently used for patients receiving pills and liquid medication. Pim explains how bacterial cellulose is similar to the cellulose found in trees and can break down naturally.   Pim also discusses the challenges of bringing the product into hospitals, where cups are typically used once and then discarded because of contamination and medication residue. He explains why Plastilose designed its product as a drop-in replacement for existing hospital cups and how pilots are being used to optimize the product around hospital needs before a wider rollout.    The conversation also looks at the scale of the opportunity, with an average Dutch hospital using 200,000 to 300,000 cups a year and the Dutch healthcare sector using around 50 million annually. Pim shares Plastilos' plans to move from a first production line capable of producing 10,000 cups a week towards one million cups a week, while initially scaling in the Netherlands before going global. Reflecting on his journey, Pim also shares his preference for impact investors and his biggest learning so far: "we get done more together," emphasizing the value of combining resources and working together to achieve more.   This new season brings conversations with founders, innovators, investors, and ecosystem leaders shaping the future of entrepreneurship, in partnership with Erasmus Enterprise and the NL Startup Competition.   These conversations are powerful, inspiring, and game-changing, and we can't wait for you to hear them. Stay tuned! New episodes dropping soon!