[Newburyport, MA] – Rheom Materials, a next-gen materials startup, is proud to announce a strategic partnership with Bixby International, an established thermoplastic extrusion and lamination company. This collaboration marks a significant milestone in Rheom Material’s journey towards commercial-scale production of its novel biobased material, Shorai™.
Shorai, Rheom Materials’ flagship product, is a biobased leather alternative designed to meet the growing demand for sustainable materials. Shorai combines the performance of traditional leather with sustainability, offering scalable production at a competitive price point, all while reducing carbon footprint. Extruded as a continuous sheet and having more than 92% biobased content, Shorai achieves an 80% reduction in carbon footprint compared to synthetic leather. The partnership with Bixby International will enable Rheom Materials to meet customer demand more effectively, providing innovative, eco-friendly materials to a broader market.
Bixby International is globally renowned for delivering innovative and precise thermoplastic extrusion product development in spec and on time. With 150 years of experience and an ISO 9001:2015 Certified Quality Management System, their state-of-the-art equipment makes Bixby the ideal partner for Rheom Materials. As part of the agreement, Bixby International is taking a minority ownership stake in Rheom Materials, reinforcing both parties’ long-term commitment to sustainability and innovation.
“Solving for both lower CO2 emissions as well as end-of-life issues in the world of plastics has long been something that we at Bixby believe needs to be addressed by our industry.”, said Dennis Lauzon, Chief Revenue Officer at Bixby International. “We are very eager to participate alongside Rheom with the introduction of these novel biobased compounds.”
“Partnering with Bixby International enables us to harness their extensive expertise in the extrusion industry and its entire supply chain, facilitating the successful scale-up of Shorai production”, said Carolina Amin Ferril, Chief Technology Officer at Rheom Materials. “Their highly competitive and adaptable capabilities will allow us to offer more solutions and exceed our customers’ expectations.”
This new partnership offers Rheom Materials an expansive toolkit. This month, they began their first pilot-scale trial at the Bixby International facilities, with plans to produce Shorai for prototype samples. Rheom Materials is working towards achieving a production scale continuous roll of biobased Shorai in the near future. Along with larger sheet production, Bixby enables various texture applications that enhance the haptics of Shorai. Lastly, the Bixby production lines will allow for laminated multilayer sheets, offering further customization for a variety of applications.
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About Bixby International
Bixby International is a renowned custom plastic extrusion company known worldwide for its innovative iterative approach to responsive thermoplastic extrusion product development. With a wealth of materials expertise, Bixby boasts one of the most extensive polymer and substrate selections in the industry. Specializing in providing practical solutions for complex polymer applications across various sectors, Bixby's seasoned team excels in designing, developing, scaling, and manufacturing custom plastic extrusion products to meet stringent commercial deadlines. With over a century of experience in manufacturing mono & multilayer film, Bixby's professionals possess the knowledge and skills to swiftly transition new product concepts from ideation to market launch. Discover more about Bixby’s cutting-edge solutions at https://www.bixbyintl.com/
About Rheom Materials
Rheom Materials, formerly Bucha Bio, is pioneering next-gen materials by creating scalable, biobased alternatives that seamlessly replace fossil fuel-based plastics. Derived from bacterial fermentation, minerals, and plant-based matter, Rheom Materials produces two main products: Shorai, a biobased leather alternative, and Benree™, a biopolymer resin for injection molding. Their team of PhD scientists develops these materials for melt extrusion technology, allowing them to leverage existing plastics manufacturing and create economies of scale. Change your impact, not your life at https://www.rheom.com/
For more information please contact: Marlies Jongens, Branding & Marketing Coordinator, marliesjongens@rheom.com
