Presenting: Estercycle – Recycling Plastics. Redefined.

Estercycle (http://estercycle.co) – Founder Julia Curley presenting, is a breakthrough innovator in sustainable plastics recycling.

EsterCycle™ is a novel recycling technology that breaks down a mixed feedstock of #1 and compostable (#7) plastics into their fundamental building blocks in a single pot. These monomers are then recovered and purified to be remade into high-quality recycled plastics that match the properties of first-generation materials.

At scale, Estercycle’s solution will be economically competitive with virgin plastic production and reduce carbon emissions by more than 40%. It offers a circular and scalable path forward for materials that have traditionally been considered unrecyclable.

Our target market is plastic manufacturers and large-scale recyclers in the US who need high-quality recycled plastic inputs & are willing to pay for sustainable, cost-competitive material alternatives.

Our competition is traditional mechanical recycling, chemical depolymerization companies, and virgin plastic producers. Our competitive advantage is our one-pot process that can accept mixed feedstock and deliver high-purity monomers with lower energy usage and emissions.

The total market size in 2024 is 8 million tons of plastic waste annually, and the total market revenue in 2024 is $20B+ in recycled plastics.

Top 3 challenges:

1. Securing consistent and scalable feedstock inputs
2. Acquiring offtake agreements for recycled plastic outputs
3. Scaling lab technology into a continuous industrial process

Our Pitch Boulder ask: I’m opening a pre-seed fundraising round by the end of the year and would love feedback on the pitch, storytelling, and what investors need to see at this stage. I’m also looking for intros to potential offtake partners or early customers.