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123 Factory’s Portfolio
by 123 Factory GmbH
  1. Our Ecosystem/

DAY1LAB

Founded
2021
CEO
Jubong Lee
Headquarters
Gwanak-gu, Seoul, Korea
Website
https://day1-lab.com/en/
Table of Contents

Company Overview
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DAY1LAB develops biodegradable plastic alternatives based on natural polymers and marine plant materials. Its materials aim to reduce plastic waste, microplastics, and carbon emissions while still working with practical production needs.

The company focuses on a plastic-free material shift. It targets packaging and consumer products that need alternatives to petroleum-based plastic. Its materials are designed to break down in soil, marine, composting, and other controlled environments.

Technology & Product
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DAY1LAB’s material platforms include seaweed-based biodegradable materials and RETARCH, a natural polymer material based on starch-cellulose composite technology. The company works from base materials to production-ready compounds and finished products.

Key product and technology areas include:

  • Lead-free: a biodegradable plastic alternative based on seaweed and marine plant ingredients.
  • RETARCH resin grade: a 100% biobased starch-cellulose composite material used as base resin or additive.
  • RETARCH compound grade: production-grade pellets optimized for manufacturing processes.
  • High-barrier coating and film materials: film materials that block oxygen and moisture for food packaging.
  • Final products: finished goods produced on conventional manufacturing lines, including blown film extrusion, T-die extrusion, and injection molding.

Market & Use Cases
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DAY1LAB is relevant to food packaging companies, consumer goods brands, converters, retailers, and manufacturers. These customers need plastic alternatives that can work with existing production lines.

The company focuses on low-carbon materials, microplastic-free degradation, and compatibility with composting, anaerobic digestion, soil, and marine environments. Near-term applications include packaging, food containers, films, and brand-led plastic reduction programs.

Traction & References
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  • DAY1LAB has raised Series A funding. Cumulative investment is more than KRW 4 billion.
  • DAY1LAB was selected for the Ministry of SMEs and Startups TIPS program.
  • Certifications include USDA Biobased, TÜV AUSTRIA OK COMPOST HOME/INDUSTRIAL, BPI commercial compostability, Korean environmental labels, ISO 9001, and ISO 14001.
  • DAY1LAB won a CES 2024 Innovation Award in Sustainability, Eco-Design & Smart Energy.
  • The company also has test data and IP around microplastic-free materials, hazardous-substance safety, green technology, and anaerobic digestion.

Collaboration Relevance
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  • Consumer goods brands, retailers, and packaging companies can test DAY1LAB materials for plastic reduction, compostability, and microplastic-free products.
  • Materials companies, compounders, and converters can work with DAY1LAB on formulation, coating, film, and production scale-up.
  • European partners can use DAY1LAB materials where packaging rules, sustainability claims, and material certifications matter.