Stefaan De Wildeman: “This is the time for positive innovators, especially in the heavy storm we are in now”

B4Plastics' pioneering work in polymer architecture has been deeply supported by a longstanding partnership with Catalisti, which was instrumental in laying the company's foundations. Over the years, B4Plastics has participated in six major Catalisti innovation projects: EnzymAse 1, EnzymASE 2, Tune2Bio, BioSAPs, SENSOR and SUPERNATURE.

While these projects span a broad spectrum of polymer science, the EnzymASE 2 project laid the direct groundwork for B4Plastics' latest milestone. On June 3, 2025, the company announced a partnership with testing laboratory Normec OWS to launch a revolutionary biodegradation pre-screening platform. This tool drastically reduces testing time, allowing B4Plastics to rapidly develop polymers that safely degrade in nature within weeks or months instead of decades.

In the interview, Stefaan De Wildeman discusses applying an "athlete’s mindset" to navigate the current "heavy storm" in the European chemical industry , the necessity of smart legislation and government support, and B4Plastics’ mission to guide society toward a safer, bio-based future.

B4Plastics has developed a pre-screening platform to screen plastics on biodegradability. Could you explain what it means and why it is important?

Stefaan De Wildeman: “More and more studies are appearing on microplastics and their impact. Together with the plastics industry, we produce an enormous quantity of materials, which leads to environmental pollution from plastics, still largely derived from fossil raw materials. Studies show that 12% of all the plastics we produce – over 1 million tonnes a day – ends up in the environment, partly in the form of microplastics.”

“There are many wear-and-tear applications where microplastics are a direct by-product. Think of brushes that wear out, carpets that fray, clothing that sheds microfibres in the washing machine, and car tyres that wear down continuously due to friction with the road surface. Flakes of ship paint and polymers in shampoos also fall into this category. These sources of microplastics are becoming increasingly well-known. All these products are simply not recyclable because this type of application cannot be collected with the waste. In the eighty years that humanity has been producing plastics, we have not paid much attention to this. Microplastics spread on land, at sea and in the air, and in this way also end up in our food chain. It is sometimes claimed that an adult accumulates the equivalent of a credit card’s worth of plastic in their brain. A grim thought. Given that in 4 billion years nature has not evolved to cope with this, it is difficult to assess the long-term consequences. What is certain is that it accumulates and poses a threat. That is why we want to help companies make smarter choices.” 

“With our screening tool, which we were able to develop partly thanks to Catalisti’s EnzymASE 2 project, we measure the degradability of new polymers in different environments and over time. By collecting data more quickly, we can develop polymers whose survival time in nature is drastically reduced to weeks or months rather than decades. Although there is a great deal of interest and even fascination with this tool, we sometimes still encounter scepticism or a ‘not invented here’ syndrome among companies when it comes to entrusting their own products to such a tool.”

Europe is strongly focused on recycling and circularity. Is that enough?

Stefaan De Wildeman: “That is obviously important, but recycling has only limited impact on consumables that wear down. The business world often has the reflex to claim that we need to recycle better to build a circular economy, but many applications are simply non-recyclable for all intents and purposes. Europe has invested heavily in recycling, but they have largely overlooked the importance of biodegradation. Fortunately, European Bioplastics is working hard to catch up on the benefits of biodegradability, and legislation is gradually emerging.”

In a broader perspective, there is a lot of activity surrounding the bioeconomy, but results are sometimes slow to materialise. How is B4Plastics approaching the market?

Stefaan De Wildeman: “Everyone is interested in the bioeconomy, but the biggest challenge is to turn it into bold actions aligned with the wider context for sustainable innovation in our industry. Large and small green projects are currently often put on hold because the business case isn’t yet sound. The timing is simply not right: the Green Deal has lost popularity, and we are grappling with the influence of Trump’s tariffs, wars and devastating competition from China. We are entering a phase of deindustrialisation in Europe; if there was ever a time in history when the Belgian chemical industry was facing enormous difficulties, it is today.”

“Nevertheless, we are making great strides forward, even if it is taking a long time. A good example is our trimmer line for grass and weed mowing. It is non-persistent and the strongest of its kind worldwide. It is a niche product but also an important innovation, because traditional trimmer line remains in your garden as microplastic for centuries. The trimmer line market is worth around 250 million euros annually, and we aim to serve that market, perhaps also through licensing. Thanks to a successful collaboration with a European market leader, our trimmer line will be available in shops most likely next spring. It took seven years to create this entirely new polymer and bring it to large European factories via technology transfer. Covid-19 did slow things down, but even so, we got the job done. And a substantial breed in new filaments and textiles is coming forward from this.” 

You sometimes refer to your past experiences as an athlete. How does that translate to your entrepreneurship?

Stefaan De Wildeman: “I do indeed see parallels in our B4P mission with the mindset of an athlete. I used to run performance-based, and that parallel is clear in my work. The ambition, the perseverance, and the almost stoic behaviour on the track where you push yourself to the limit to set a personal best; these are values that apply almost every day in the work at B4Plastics. We are performance-driven and pursue high ambitions. This brings us, as a biopolymer company, at the front of the pack. Flanders must not be too modest about its innovation efforts. And the fact that we are not in an easy phase at this very moment – actually are fighting hard to survive – also echoes a “no pain no gain” motto. But staying the course and tackling this challenge, is exactly what can bring us on a totally new place. The duty to be positive, and realise what enormous expertise can move and will mean, is the inspiration. This is the time for positive innovators, and all hope is present, also for the government, to continue building and supporting that innovative ecosystem, especially now that we’re weathering a heavy storm.”

How do you view the future and the role of society and the government?

Stefaan De Wildeman: “Legislation remains necessary, because otherwise people’s incentive is too low and the current financial system remains too dominant. It undermines people’s boldness to change. Believe me, it is fun to get things moving with great social added value as a surplus. Leaving comfort zones for the bigger good. In our case this means guiding society to a safer place to live in: with bioplastics and biodegradable products in the right applications. I’m a firm believer in what I call the ‘phone book principle’. This would be a comprehensive guide listing all products, detailing the ingredients or chemicals they contain and their environmental impact. It should become second nature, even for a child, to look it up: shampoo ingredients should not be recyclable, but biodegradable: in your body and in the wastewater treatment plant! That simplicity lacks today. Such a universal guide could mobilize the end-consumer: an important part of the power is in the hands and soul of the end consumer. Imagine what changes if we can count on the end consumer! Our education system would also benefit from this and have an even more positive influence on societal choices.”

“Innovation isn’t just a technical story of facts. You can put forward the most beautiful, affordable technology, but if perception and psychology work against it, it won’t work. The solution lies in creating broader support and a capacity for cooperation. It sometimes requires an adventurous spirit and even a touch of rebellion to really get things moving.” 

What role does Catalisti play in the growth of B4Plastics?

Stefaan De Wildeman: “Without Catalisti, B4Plastics wouldn’t have existed. They were instrumental in laying the foundations and helped us take some very crucial steps, particularly in the early years. That support went beyond the financials; it was also about fostering perseverance and belief in our project.”

“We’ve been a family business for eight years now. So, I take all my worries and successes back to the kitchen table at home. Our philosophy as a polymer architecture firm has had time to mature properly; I don’t think this would have happened in the same way if we’d been in a hardcore venture capital environment from day one. The risk diversification provided by Catalisti projects, among other things, has given us, as a family business, the freedom to forge our own path and take risks that wouldn’t have been possible based purely on the figures.”