Footprint, provider of solutions that eliminate single-use and short-term use plastics in our food chain, chooses BIC Eindhoven as its first European location

Footprint, a U.S.-based globally operating company focused on materials science technology solutions, today announced plans for a European R&D center at Brainport Industries Campus (BIC) in Eindhoven, the Netherlands. the Footprint R&D Center will feature a prototype and test lab, research facility. It will become a primary hub of sustainable plant-based fiber solutions for European customers seeking to transition away from single-use plastics including for example cutlery, bowls, plates, take-away containers, meat and produce trays and cups.

The BIC campus, where top technology, education, government, and high-quality facilities come together, will also be the location of Footprint’s European headquarters. 

“Today marks an important step in creating a European center for Footprint’s sustainable materials innovation,” Footprint CEO Troy Swope said. “EU legislation eliminating many single-use plastics and European consumers’ progressive focus on sustainability has accelerated demand for plant-based fiber solutions. We’re very encouraged about the advanced conversations we’re having with European customers and look forward to providing new and timely solutions, led by this talented, Europe-based team.”

Circularity and sustainability

Ferdinand Gremmen, CEO at SDK Vastgoed (VolkerWessels), is proud that Footprint has chosen BIC. “This is a big player with a focus on a new, very relevant technology. Moreover, in their way of working and in the solutions they offer, they are fully in line with what the world desperately needs at the moment: circularity and sustainability. That is why they fit so well in BIC as an energy-neutral campus. I expect a strong interaction with the other companies and institutions within our ecosystem.”

Footprint today provides some of the world’s largest packaged food producers with plant-based fiber alternatives to plastic. Through the Footprint Foundation, and Pledge2050, Footprint is also engaging in initiatives that help raise awareness about the damage to human health and the planet caused by plastic in the food chain. With non-recyclable single-use plastic more visible than ever during Covid-19 stay-at-home orders, the urgency around better solutions has never been more important. 

Footprint enters the European market as EU regulations banning the use of several single-use plastics impact quick-service restaurants, food manufacturers, and retailers and accelerate the move to plastic-free alternatives. Footprint is building a team that will engage closely with these organizations as they look to follow regulations, embrace more recycling and composting options, as well as address consumer demands for environmentally friendly and healthier materials touching their food.

Market leader

Raphael Noé, Capreon – Partner at the Noé Group, said: “We are delighted to complete this partnership with Footprint, and in doing so, continuing to grow the future of Brainport Industries Campus and high-tech real estate in Eindhoven. Footprint is a market leader in a relevant and important industry and it’s fantastic to welcome them to our world-leading Campus.”

This partnership fits directly within No´Group’s vision for the future of real estate, Noé adds. “BIC is a model for blending the innovation of high-tech manufacturing facilities while encouraging the natural environment that could, and should, be replicated both within Eindhoven and around the world. Footprint and BIC complement one another with their ways of working and approach to the world, and we are happy to have brought the two of them together under one roof.”