What It Really Takes to Replace Plastic: Our Capsule Story

Many See the Result, Few Know the Struggle

Looking at our capsules today, some might think this was a straightforward innovation. The truth? It was far more difficult than we ever imagined.

When we chose to replace conventional plastics with PHA combined with natural fibres like cotton and wood, we stepped onto a road no one had walked before. Every machine in the factory was designed for plastics, not for this new material. We had to teach old machines a brand-new language.

Our co-founder Elina working with materials scientists in a lab

When New Materials Meet Old Machines

The first time we poured the milky white PHA pellets into the feed inlet, the workshop lights seemed to glow a little brighter. We crowded around the aging capsule molding machine, eyes fixed on the transparent pipe as the material slowly moved through. This was the formula we had spent three months perfecting. Everyone held their breath.

But within three minutes, the machine gave a dull clunk, like something had jammed. The operator slammed the emergency stop. As the mould opened, a burnt smell hit our noses. Instead of smooth, round capsule shells, we found black scars stuck to the mould, still giving off wisps of smoke, crumbling into fragments at the touch of tweezers.

What followed felt more like a survival match with the machine. At 180°C, the PHA melted into a tar-like black liquid that seeped through every crack, only removable with a steel brush. Drop the temperature to 170°C, and it solidified like lard, clogging the feed inlet until we had to dismantle the pipe and hammer out the lumps.

We tried everything. Half an hour of preheating before each run, meticulous parameter settings, yet the material seemed to change its mind every time. One moment it burned into carbon, the next it hardened like stone. And after every single failure, we had to spend hours scrubbing the machine clean,  removing every last trace of residue before we could even attempt the next run.

It was exhausting, painstaking work, but the only way to ensure the chamber was pristine enough for another test. Even the most experienced technician squatted on the floor in frustration. In those days, we lived between failure and fragile hope.

Failing Again, Refusing to Compromise

Some people told us, “Why not just go back to plastic? It would be easier.”

But we refused. We knew that one step back meant plastic creeping once again into the Earth’s wounds.

So we kept going. Adjusting ratios, tweaking pressure, changing screw speeds. Dozens of trials for every small variation. Failed capsules piled up on our lab tables: some charred, some collapsed, some never formed at all.

We joked that we were like “archaeologists in the factory,” digging through layers of failed fossils before burying ourselves in the next round of experiments.

The Moment of Success

And then, one day, the machine finished a cycle quietly. This time, what dropped out was a smooth, intact, and beautiful capsule. We stared at it as if it were a newborn child.

It was more than just a capsule. It was proof that the plastic we take for granted is not the only option.

In that moment, months of failure, doubt, and exhaustion turned into laughter.

Our Relentless Pursuit

When you hold one of our finished capsules, it may seem small and light. But behind it are two years of relentless trial and error, and a team whose stubbornness toward eco responsibility and perfection bordered on obsession.

We believe it’s worth it. Because every PHA capsule is a promise to the planet: we can be different.