Biointellectus: Turning Waste into Functional Bioplastics in Mexico
Biointellectus develops the next generation of bioproducts by transforming biomass into functional plastics.
Víctor Flores, founder of Biointellectus, is a young entrepreneur who merged innovation and business to create bioplastics. His journey began in college in Mexico, where the link between science and entrepreneurship inspired him to pursue sustainable solutions. After earning his degree and discussing with fellow entrepreneurs, he founded Biointellectus in 2019.
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From the beginning, Víctor set out with a clear vision:
“To give people an alternative to conventional plastics, one that positively impacts their daily lives.”
Guided by this purpose, Biointellectus has spent six years turning agricultural and industrial waste into upcycled plastics. The company has developed three thermoplastic starch (TPS) products: TPS-Rigid, TPS-Disposable, and TPS-Agrofilm. These bioplastics have helped cut 27,000 kg of CO₂ emissions, replace 450,000 packages, and avoid generating 1,200 tons of waste in one year.
Building Growth through Knowledge and Collaboration
To achieve this impact, Biointellectus has worked extensively to refine its technical processes and establish strategic partnerships.
On one hand, the company constantly refines its bioplastics expertise. With each new biomass and product, the team deepens knowledge of material structure, properties, and processing. Through experimentation, they identify effective solutions, improving technical skills, and sector understanding. So far, they have converted “orange and citrus peels, coconut fibers, agave fibers, and coffee waste,” with the latter being especially challenging.
On the other hand, partnerships have been essential for focusing their efforts, expanding their knowledge, and scaling their reach. Although Biointellectus leads the transformation of biomolecules into bioplastics through reactive extrusion, specialized partners manage the revalorization process. Currently, the company collaborates with two leading firms in this field to ensure high-quality conversion from waste to biomolecules. Moreover, they have recently partnered with Ingredion Mexico, which is “the first corporation” they have collaborated with. This partnership has allowed them to “work with excellence and achieve huge results in a short time”. In fact, this experience has opened the door for Biointellectus to work with other major companies such as Heineken and Walmart.
Biointellectus won first place in the 2024 Heineken Green Challenge. Their packaging proposal allows Heineken to reduce CO₂ emissions by 40% to 60%. Courtesy of Biointellectus.
Their ongoing learning and strategic partnerships enable them to create increasingly scalable and carbon-neutral products, as reflected in their environmental performance metrics.
Competitive Edge and Future Outlook
Biointellectus has a broad field of action. So far, only between 1% and 2% of the global plastics market consists of bioplastics. Therefore, their potential for impact is enormous, and they have the advantage of remaining at the forefront of innovation. They offer functional bioplastics at low costs compared to others in the market, are highly adaptable to their clients’ needs, and have scalable potential at a regional level. In fact, they currently have a production capacity of 500 tons per year and expect this to increase to 1,000 tons per year by 2026.