Bioweg raises €16m to swap microplastics in cosmetics with bacteria-based alternative
16 sep. 2025
07:00
Bioweg wants to scrub Europe’s cosmetics clean of fossil-based microplastics – and has just raised €16m to develop its first industrial-scale plant.
The German startup has big plans for its bacteria-based ingredient, which also has applications in agriculture and food.
“We knew we had to make something that wasn’t just greener, but better,” co-founder and CEO Prateek Mahalwar tells Impact Loop.
The German startup has big plans for its bacteria-based ingredient, which also has applications in agriculture and food.
“We knew we had to make something that wasn’t just greener, but better,” co-founder and CEO Prateek Mahalwar tells Impact Loop.
Microplastics may be tiny, but they’re a big problem. From cosmetics to cleaning products, they’re everywhere and their pervasive presence in the environment has been linked to myriad health problems.
German startup Bioweg thinks it has found a way to wash them out of the system, and investors are buying in. The company just raised €16m in Series A funding to scale its biodegradable ingredients made from bacterial cellulose.