Summary

Traceless envisions a world in which oil-based plastics are rendered unnecessary. The company utilizes agricultural waste to create innovative, patent-pending technology that leverages natural biopolymers. These novel materials can be used to replace most plastic applications and can be safely composted at the end of use. The company produces granulates which can be further processed into a wide range of end products.

Traceless has since scaled significantly, growing from a small research team to a 100-person company with its first large-scale production facility now open in Hamburg-Harburg, capable of producing several thousand tonnes of granulate annually. In 2024, the company launched a strategic partnership with Mondi, a global paper and packaging manufacturer, to develop bio-circular coatings as a sustainable alternative to synthetic plastic paper coatings. Traceless materials have also entered real-world consumer applications, including compostable fries pickers used at major rock festivals in 2025. That same year, the company was nominated as a finalist for the Deutscher Zukunftspreis — one of Germany’s most prestigious science and innovation awards — marking a major milestone in its journey toward industrial-scale sustainable materials.

Story

Co-founder Anne Lamp made a discovery during her time at Hamburg University: a process that enabled a material to be obtained from plant residues from the agricultural industry that functions as a natural plastic alternative. She found that the material had properties similar to plastic but that it was completely biodegradable. Lamp then met her co-founder Johanna Baare at an incubator program “Project Together,” who ensured her that this discovery could be a marketable business concept. Thus, Traceless was born.

Pic Credit: Startup City Hamburg (right) and Planet-A (top)