Alkivio Srl Società Benefit

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.