Horizon Europe Online Matchmaking for Cluster 6 - Calls 2025

HomeParticipantsMarketplaceAgenda

Alexander Davis

Product Developer

Alkivio Srl Società Benefit

Garbagnate Monastero, Italy

1 profile visit

My organisation

Alkivio Srl Società Benefit

Alkivio Srl Società Benefit

Small or Medium Enterprise (SME)

Garbagnate Monastero, Italy

The Smart Materials Group of the Istituto Italiano di Tecnologia (IIT) has a large portfolio of environmentally friendly materials and processes, state of the art laboratories for materials development and characterization, and numerous collaborations with industrial partners. In 2016, IIT joined forces with Novacart Spa, a world leader in the production of paper molds for baking and confectionery, to launch the IIT@Novacart joint lab. Located on the premises of Novacart headquarters in Garbagnate Monastero (LC), the joint lab took aim at developing a sustainable alternative to traditional plastics. Years of research led to a joint IIT-Novacart technology was patented to produce thermoplastic biocomposites composed of biodegradable biopolymers, paper, and functional additives through a scalable and resource efficient process (i.e. low energy/water consumption). Alkivio Srl Società Benefit was born in 2022 and, as an accredited startup of IIT and Novacart, produces thermoplastic biocomposites known commercially as AlkiPaper®. Alkivio has produced and delivered tons of AlkiPaper® biopellets to be used as alternative to plastics in standard transformation processes including injection molding and cast extrusion. Products based on AlkiPaper® were launched on the market in the design sector in 2024, while other prototyping projects with customers active in packaging and agriculture sectors are ongoing.
Read more

About me

AlkiPaper® is a family of biocomposites alternative to plastics developed by Alkivio, a start-up company that originated from the joint research laboratory between the IIT Smart Materials group and Novacart. Established as start-up in 2022, Alkivio (from the ancient Greek meaning “the force of life”) produces AlkiPaper® in pellet form thanks to a patented technology licensed from Novacart and IIT. The material is designed to be biodegradable, compostable, environmentally sustainable, colorable, and compatible with the major industrial processes used for plastics such as injection molding, extrusion, thermoforming, 3D printing, and blow molding. For certain grades of AlkiPaper®, the biodegradability under controlled conditions has already been confirmed by tests from accredited laboratories, while the industrial composting certification is still ongoing. The biocomposites are made predominantly from components of natural origin, including paper in the form of virgin cellulose or industrial production residues. Commercial applications include rigid and semi-rigid  products in sectors such as packaging, design, agriculture, sports, and electronics.