As a historic milestone in green technology, the Finnish green-technology innovator Solar Foods has today even begun full-scale manufacture of Solein Green, the first biodegradable plastic in the world, based solely on captured carbon dioxide and renewable electricity.
It was announced in a new plant in Vantaa, which will be the new factory of the company, which is a seismic shift in the context of sustainable materials and puts Finland at the centre of the global bioeconomy revolution.
Its breakthrough material, which was developed in five years in collaboration with VTT Technical Research Centre of Finland and strengthened by EUR200 million funding under the EU Recovery and Resilience Facility, is a versatile polymer that converts CO2 into the air, and which breaks down naturally after several months.
In contrast to the petroleum-based plastics that have long half-lives of hundreds of years, Solein Green decomposes into potable water and carbon dioxide, which is a true circular solution to one of the most significant environmental disasters of mankind.
Behind the Plastic Revolutionary Process
The central point of this innovation is the proprietary technology of microbial fermentation at Solar Foods. This starts with electrolysers separating water into hydrogen and oxygen using the Finnish renewable electricity, which is in abundance. This hydrogen is then fed on by specialised microbes with the presence of captured CO2, nitrogen, and trace minerals, which rapidly develop into a protein-rich biomass that forms the basis of the plastic.
The idea of the product is to remove pollution in the air and transform it directly into daily products, continued the CEO of Solar Foods, Pasi Vainikk, at the opening event today. We are no longer in the laboratory level of prototyping, but industrial reality. This factory will remove 5,000 tons of CO2 each year, and it will produce 10,000 tons of biodegradable plastic that will take 3,500 cars off the road each year.
The properties of the material compete with traditional plastics: it is flexible and yet durable, can be used in products such as packaging, textiles, and even 3D printing filament. It was found to be fully biodegradable in soil and marine environments within 180 days, independently tested by the University of Helsinki, and gave it the desired EU “OK Biodegradable WATER” label, the first plastic material to do so.
The Green Tech Industry in Finland is a Booming Economy
This is coming as Finland vehemently tries to make it its business to become the preferred choice of the circular economy in Europe by the year 2030.
The Vantaa plant is the largest to be erected in 18 months, and it already employs 350 individuals and has developed an ecosystem of 42 supplier companies nationwide. The officials of the government who participated in the inauguration highlighted the strategic value of this technology.
Minister of Economic Affairs Ville Tavio wrote: “This is our Nokia moment of sustainability. When other countries are pursuing marginal changes, Finland has provided a real game-changer. Solein Green will place us at the heart of Saudi Arabia of carbon-negative materials.
The economic impacts of plastics are much deeper. Solar Foods has signed binding contracts with big brands such as Nestlé, IKEA, and Patagonia, with a total order of EUR1.2 billion delivered by 2026. In Asia and North America, export markets are keen, especially with the Seven-Eleven of Japan announcing that they are moving to single-use packaging with Solein Green by 2028.
International Environmental Impact and Climate Leadership
The carbon-negative nature of the technology has received worldwide recognition. The production of one ton of Solein Green eliminates 2.2 tons of CO2 in the atmosphere, which is two times more than traditional plastic manufacturing. On the global level, Solar Foods estimates that by 2035, it will be able to cover 10% of all plastic-related emissions.
The breakthrough was celebrated by the environmental organisations as the most important development on sustainable materials since recycling was invented. The climate director of Greenpeace Nordic said that Finland has shown that profitable climate solutions can be done at scale. This is not greenwashing; this is green manufacturing.
The location of the factory in Vantaa is exploited through the special features of Finland: nearly 100% renewable electricity grid, the best carbon capture infrastructure in the world, and a cold climate, which contributes to the natural increase of fermentation efficiency. All these contribute to the production being 70% more energy-efficient than the facilities in warmer areas.
Future Expansion and Problems
Nevertheless, even with the victory, there is a challenge. The initial cost of production is 40% more than that of traditional plastics, although Vainikka estimates that the price will match by 2027 with scale. The company has already established plans for three other factories in Finland, Sweden and Canada with a combined capacity of 200 tons per year by 2030.
Finland has one of the most developed biotechnology systems, that have led to low regulatory hurdles. Solein Green was a strategic net-zero technology and received a fast-tracked approval from the European Commission (within its Green Deal provisions).
Incremental Power in Carbon-Negative Innovation in Finland
The new launch continues the impressive success of Finland in its 2025 sustainability breakthroughs. After Polar Night Energy was named in TIME as one of the best inventions, and the country was recognised as a frontrunner in quantum computing, Solein Green solidifies the image of Finland as the powerhouse of innovations in Europe.
As journalists took a tour of the sparkling factory halls with workers in their bright yellow safety dresses, the theme was obvious: Finland has turned its renowned sisu, the undying will that sustained the nation through winter wars, into sustainable industrial strength.
It is not just a factory that makes plastic, Vainikka said to himself, as he stared at massive fermentation towers that vibrated with life. “We’re making hope. Hope that man can eat, not destroy, live, not exhaust, but make a future where mankind and planet will have finally come together.
As Solein Green is now running off the Finnish assembly lines to markets across the globe, the world observes how this small Nordic country is showing the world how to use the biggest menace of our day, excess carbon, as the material of tomorrow.
