EF Polymer, which handles the development of 100% organic super absorbent polymers, announced on the 16th that it has conducted a third-party allotment of shares totaling 1 billion yen as the first close of its Series B round.
This funding included existing shareholders Universal Materials Incubator (UMI) and MTG Ventures, as well as new shareholders Ryukyu Bank, Future Food Fund, and Shinryo Fund.
EF Polymer is a super absorbent polymer (SAP) made from orange and banana peels. While existing SAP products are widespread in all industries, they have been considered environmentally burdensome because they are petroleum-based.
Petroleum-based super absorbent polymers had issues such as requiring a lot of energy in the manufacturing and disposal process and emitting gases that negatively affect the environment, losing water absorption when mixed with fertilizers and used in agriculture due to chemical reactions, and not having complete biodegradability, leaving components that pollute the soil and microplastics.
EF Polymer is a 100% organic super absorbent polymer born from crop residues such as fruit peels and pulp that were previously discarded. By applying it to farmland, it leads to increased yields while keeping production costs down even in harsh environments such as water shortages. Furthermore, they have built a circular model where the residues of crops grown on this farmland can be upcycled to help manufacture new EF Polymer.
They are also advancing applications beyond the agricultural field. In addition to thickeners for cosmetics and daily necessities, they have expanded their business to non-agricultural fields, such as the biodegradable ice pack “Cy-Cool” co-developed with Iwatani Corporation and absorbent sheets co-developed with Soken Chemical & Engineering. By proposing organic polymers in fields where petroleum-derived materials have traditionally been used, they are promoting green transformation (GX) in various industries.
Since starting sales of the agricultural material “EF Polymer” in India in 2020, they have expanded their market to Japan, the United States, France, and others, achieving cumulative sales of approximately 400 tons as of 2025. Global demand is expanding due to recent droughts caused by climate change and soaring fertilizer prices, and demonstrations and business negotiations are currently in progress in more than 20 countries.
via PR TIMES
#Polymer #raises #billion #yen #Series #accelerating #development #organic #super #absorbent #polymer #BRIDGE
