— By Plasteurope.com staff — 

As an alternative to fossil-based plastics, Krill Design (Milan; www.rekrill.bio) – an Italian-based innovative small and medium-sized enterprise (SME) – is developing biomaterials based on waste products from the food industry. Marketed under the name ReKrill, the material is produced from organic waste such as citrus and hazelnut shells, coffee grounds, and fruit stones using a patented thermo-mechanical compounding process. According to the company, it can be processed using injection moulding, extrusion blow moulding, and 3D-printing technologies.

Krill Design said it is targeting the packaging market in particular, with a focus on fillers in the personal care and cosmetics industries.

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Founded in 2018 by CEO Ivan Calimani, the company currently employs around 20 people. At its site in Paderno Dugnano, in the greater Milan area, Krill Design has production capacity of approximately 4,000 t/y, spread across three production lines.

In response to inquiry from Plasteurope.com, Krill Design said packs made of Rekrill are certified to EN 13432, the European standard for industrially compostable packaging, ensuring compatibility with industrial composting processes and compliance with criteria on disintegration, compost quality, and environmental safety.

The SME stated that while industrial composting represents the most standardised and widely available end-of-life route across Europe, including Italy, local acceptance may vary at the regional or municipal level. In areas where compostable packaging is not accepted in household organic waste streams, the company said products should follow local waste authority guidance and are typically directed to residual waste, often leading to energy recovery.