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From nature to future: how Bloom Biorenewables is turning plants into the building blocks of tomorrow’s products
key takeaways.
Harnessing wood’s hidden potential: Bloom converts lignin and hemicellulose – plant components often discarded – into high-value, fossil-free materials
Breakthrough bio-based chemistry: a proprietary fractionation technology preserves the functionality of biomass, enabling new industrial applications
From lab to scale: backed by major investors, Bloom is building the foundations for industrial-scale bio-based production and a net-zero future.
It began with a simple question: why should the everyday products we rely on – from plastics to perfumes – still be made using fossil fuels? For Remy Buser, chemist and co-founder of Bloom Biorenewables, this was not merely a hypothetical question, but one that was to become the foundation for an innovative new business.
Could wood, the same material used in everything from furniture to paper to construction, also become the building blocks of fragrances, plastics, and food additives, all without the environmental cost of fossil fuels? Remy Buser believed it could, and so Bloom Biorenewables was born.
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With a deep expertise in chemistry and a drive for entrepreneurship, he and his team are pioneering a breakthrough in how we harness biomass. By unlocking the untapped potential of lignin and hemicellulose (plant components that often go to waste) Bloom is creating renewable, high-performance materials that could one day replace fossil-based products at scale.
In this interview, Remy shares how Bloom grew from a university lab into a fast-rising green tech company attracting major investors, the challenges of scaling innovation, and why “de-fossilisation” may be the key in the transition to a net-zero economy.
The whole team is convinced we’re onto something that has not only huge potential from a market point of view, but could also provide a lasting, sustainable solution for humankind
What sparked the idea behind Bloom Biorenewables, and how did you get started?
I think the spark is a combination of my understanding of molecules and atoms and their impact on the environment through my studies in chemistry, and an entrepreneurial drive I have had since I was young.
That spark doesn’t come only from me, though. The whole team is convinced we’re onto something that has not only huge potential from a market point of view, but could also provide a lasting, sustainable solution for humankind. The story began at EPFL with one of the co-founders, Jeremy Luterbacher, who developed a technology that, together with Florent Héroguel, we took from the lab to the industrialisation phase.
Can you explain how your technology turns wood into useful, sustainable products?
Carbon is one of the main constituents of most of the products we use daily, and today most of that carbon is derived from fossil resources. We need to enable renewable carbon – non-fossil-based, like that found in plants – to be used in the same way.
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Our technology is built on this concept. We have a ‘fractionation’ technology that allows us to take plants and break them into their basic constituents – cellulose being the most abundant, which most people know from the paper industry. But we focus on under-utilised fractions, namely lignin and hemicellulose, which are extremely difficult to extract value from today. Thanks to protection and stabilising agents in our process, we can now extract them in a natural way that preserves their usefulness, which in turn allows us to do things our competitors cannot do with them.
What kind of products could soon be made using Bloom’s materials instead of fossil-based ones?
The ultimate answer is – all of them. But in the short term, we’re targeting small-volume, high-value markets. This includes fragrances and flavourings and, more generally, specialty chemicals. We’re looking at additives or stabilisers – components found in many products around us that play a key role in preserving them.
In the long run, we’re aiming for bulk applications such as resins, coatings, and plastics more broadly.
How does Bloom fit with the Lombard Odier Plastic Circularity strategy, and how did you meet the team?
We always try to reach out to investors and build new relationships. In this case, Alexandre Ouimet Storrs, Senior Investment Manager at LOIM, who has been following Bloom since 2018, was able to value the strong USP and progress of the company.
Our alignment with the strategy is almost perfect, as the strategy looks for fresh angles on the problem of plastic waste, and Bloom addresses several of them. We use side streams from agricultural or forestry processes. There’s also a recycling aspect, as we take biomass and reuse its components. And finally, we produce plastics or materials with a far better sustainability profile.
We always assess the risk profile of each market. This includes factors such as market size, margins, and the willingness to adopt green solutions. We map these elements and develop short-, mid- and long-term strategies accordingly
What have your biggest challenges been in bringing Bloom from the lab to market? How competitive is the market for bio-based alternatives?
There are many challenges in building a company, but scaling the technology is a major one. We’re dealing with chemical processes which require specific infrastructure – not necessarily equipment, but a proper lab setup, which isn’t easy for a start-up. We spent the early years building that, and today we have an R&D centre and very good partners who help us provide the right environment.
Then there’s always the product-market fit. We’ve explored many different applications, spoken to lots of customers, and now have a broad pipeline of options and fallback positions to make the development more stable and reduce risk.
And finally, securing the first large contracts – which we’ve now signed over the past few months – has been a key milestone. These are the result of that successful product-market fit. We’re now ready to launch and use the proceeds of our Series A to produce at scale and deliver on those signed off-take agreements.
You are working on applications from bioplastics to food additives. Which markets are top priority?
We always assess the risk profile of each market. This includes factors such as market size (smaller markets are easier in terms of production volumes), margins, and the willingness to adopt green solutions. We map these elements and develop short-, mid- and long-term strategies accordingly.
In the short term, the best markets are high-end products – luxury goods, fragrances, flavourings – where there’s strong added value, even if the market size is limited.
Ultimately though, the goal is to enter bulk markets. That will only be possible once we reach true commercial scale and can reduce costs to a level comparable with the fossil-based chemical industry.
One of the challenges in explaining this to a broader audience is that the chemical market touches almost everything you use, own, or buy on a daily basis. You mentioned bioplastics and food additives – that already shows how broad it is. But in the end, the molecules can be very similar. We sell the same material to different markets – it’s our customers who do the formulation. We provide a material that’s used in application A with customer A, and in application B with customer B – but our processes and product remain the same.
We often speak about decarbonisation, which is the accepted term, but when it comes to materials, you can’t decarbonise – carbon is a core component. That’s why we prefer the term de-fossilisation
Which industries do you think are most in need of a rethink, and how could your materials help drive that change?
I think all sectors are in need of change. One key difference is proximity to the customer. In cosmetics, for instance, consumers are more likely to read long chemical names on packaging, understand what the molecules are and where they come from, and see greater value in fully renewable or natural products. These markets are, in a way, more ready to move towards sustainable solutions.
In contrast, sectors like surface coatings – on tables, chairs, or furniture, for instance – tend to get less consumer attention. Margins are also lower, so it’s harder to absorb any cost difference. That said, we’re targeting competitive prices at scale, so this isn’t an issue in the long run.
How do you see the role of bio-based materials in accelerating the transition to a net-zero economy?
Bio-based materials are an essential pillar of this transition. We often speak about decarbonisation, which is the accepted term, but when it comes to materials, you can’t decarbonise – carbon is a core component. That’s why we prefer the term de-fossilisation.
By focussing on bio-based alternatives in this space, we’re also creating pressure on fossil-based players. If bio-based materials become more attractive and cost-competitive, they can shift pricing dynamics and reduce the competitiveness of fossil-based products in other markets, such as fuel or bitumen. It’s a domino effect – cost-competitive and high-performance bio-based materials can truly change the game.
You’ve just closed a CHF 13 million Series A funding round with leading investors. How will this shape Bloom’s next chapter?
This is a key milestone in our journey. We’ve now signed major agreements with companies that will help us scale up and serve as off-takers. The funding will support us through this growth phase, enabling us to deliver at tonne-scale to our customers.
The goal is to validate the material properties we’ve developed with our partners and obtain full validation and product registration. At the same time, we’re designing our first production unit, which will process 5,000 tonnes of biomass per year. To finalise the plans for this facility, we need data generated during this phase of Series A. Our industrialisation team has already started working on the basic design, which will be ready by the end of the Series A period.
Our immediate target is to reach 100 tonnes of processed material per year. We can achieve this thanks to a manufacturer – Valsynthese in Brig – we’re working with in Valais. They will help us both produce the material and streamline the process. We expect at least a four- to five-fold increase in the first year, and a ten-fold increase by the end of the Series A phase.
If we look ten years ahead, the plan is to complete the first commercial facility and then have partners around the world using our technology to produce renewable carbon from plants
You have won several awards already. Which of these have meant the most to you?
The best award is always customer satisfaction – that should remain the main focus. But of course, it’s also rewarding to be recognised on stage and win major competitions. Among those, the Swiss Technology Award was particularly meaningful. We also won the Startup Seed Night at EPFL, which was instrumental in helping us meet people and gain recognition within our community. I’d also mention the Prix SUD, a prize organised by Romande Energie and Le Temps, which gave us valuable exposure in the press. These awards help build momentum and visibility for the company.
Looking ahead, what is your vision for Bloom in the next five to ten years?
Our long-term vision is to build a global company with proprietary technology. That means constructing our first commercial plant, which is essential before we can license the technology. First you need to show the world you are able to run it yourself, otherwise customers are buying risk, which reduces the price and value, and makes the whole case less attractive.
If we look ten years ahead, the plan is to complete the first commercial facility and then have partners around the world – in the pulp and paper, agricultural, or chemical industries – using our technology to produce renewable carbon from plants.
This vision directly shapes our day-to-day decisions, especially in how we assess markets. To justify multiple factories worldwide, you need to operate in very large markets. Otherwise, one facility might suffice. It also influences how we build partnerships. Forming the right alliances takes time, so we’re strategic about whom we engage with today, making sure they align with our long-term goals.
Do your expansion plans involve you staying based in Switzerland, or opening offices elsewhere?
Our aim is to stay as Swiss as we can – that’s the team’s intention. The headquarters and R&D centre will remain in Switzerland. It’s easy to keep them here because we have access to talent and can attract people from around the globe.
On the operational side, however, we need to run the business efficiently. So we will assess the pros and cons of different regions. It’s likely that we’ll expand – Europe is large, and we also need access to raw materials – for example, we may look to the Nordics for wood supply.
All these factors – cost, efficiency and sustainability – will guide our decisions on geographic expansion.
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