As an eco-friendly company, the goal of Biotech Materials is to contribute not only to the environment, but to the whole community. We plan to do so by implementing the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals, a list of 17 global goals dedicated to achieving a more sustainable future. So far, our business has implemented 10 out of the 17 goals, as listed below:

  1. Achieve gender equality

Human potential should be maximized regardless of gender. For this reason, the company founder, Ms. Vučetić, wanted to eliminate gender bias and looked (searched? L.K.) for a male co-founder, who (WHICH, L.K.) is now Mr. Marić. Besides the work position, she also wants to enforce that men have the same rights to paternity leave rights as women (do)

  1. Promote decent work and economic growth

Although the COVID -19 pandemic resulted in the loss of millions of jobs, economic growth is expected to return to pre-pandemic levels in 2022 or 2023. As a start-up company whose goal is expansion, Biotech Materials plans to open new workplaces in Croatia, the Netherlands and the EU.  

  1. Promote industry innovation and infrastructure

Even though Biotech Materials still has a long way to go, we plan to open our own factory in 2027 with the support of investors. While there are about a hundred textile factories in Croatia, ours would be the first vegan leather factory.

  1. Reduce inequalities

Unequal wealth leads to unequal opportunities, which should be accessible to all. That is why we want to reduce income inequality and give people in the Croatian countryside the opportunity to earn higher wages, contribute to economic growth and improve their standard of living.

  1. Sustainable cities and economies

To live more sustainably and live well, we need to transition to greener living conditions. Our startup aims to encourage other businesses to have a greater impact on the environment by contributing to local circular economies.

  1. Responsible consumption and production 

Our current textile engineering solutions already have a positive impact of:

  •  10000+ kg of waste recycled yearly from Eastern European alcohol production
  •  40x lower carbon footprint than animal leather
  •  2x lower carbon footprint than synthetic leather

and we aim to further improve those numbers as we scale and are able to optimize our process.

  1. Climate action

The fashion industry is the second biggest polluter in the world, right between the fossil fuel industry and the agricultural industry. We aim to disrupt it with our innovative plant-based leather that is made by dehydrating vegetable waste and uses at least 50% less chemicals in the process. 

  1. Life below water

There is more plastic in the ocean than meets the eye. Most of the plastics in the ocean break down into very small particles called microplastics. Their effect can be very toxic to marine animals, as the plastics can cause oxidative damage and abnormal behavior. To minimize microplastics and plastics overall, we use only biodegradable elements in the production of our Plant Skin.

  1. Life on land

Plant-based leather production does not use nearly as many land resources as animal leather production, thereby reducing biodiversity modification and many other issues. Our company stands out because we recover waste and give it a new purpose, whereas some of our competitors exploit plants that could be used for food instead of fashion. Biotech Materials’ leather is recyclable and contributes to circular economy.