Xuanming (Sherry) Xu, Chairwoman of Phabuilder
Every month, we present 5 facts about a member of European Bioplastics. This time, Xuanming (Sherry) Xu, Chairwoman of Phabuilder, shares some interesting insights on the company.
5 Facts about Phabuilder
Phabuilder Biotechnology Co., Ltd. leads the synthetic biology industry, driven by their ethos “From Microbes to a Green Future”. Their vision, “Every PHA Moment Shapes Tomorrow,” actively guides their commitment to creating a sustainable world. Innovation, collaboration, and sustainability, Phabuilder’s core values, fuel their pursuit to develop eco-friendly alternatives, especially in combating ocean plastic pollution. With a $100M USD investment from CNPC Kunlun and Sequoia, they are pioneering a new era in eco-friendly synthetic biology.
Rooted in 40 years of Tsinghua University research and enhanced by their dedicated R&D team, their “Super Cell Factory” represents a major advancement in their capabilities. “Super Cell Factory” is hosted on NGIB (Next Generation Industrial Biotechnology), a biotech innovated by Dr. George Guoqiang Chen’s research team. Employing Halomonas bacteria, NGIB is transforming the biomanufacturing industry and enabling Phabuilder to produce a diversity of PHA polymers. “We cut energy consumption by 30% compared to traditional methods, eliminating costly sterilisation processes, and successfully tackling major industrial biotech challenges. Our new-gen production line in Beijing and extensive Hubei bases exemplify our commitment to efficient, versatile biotech solutions, and our capability to scale up PHA production.”
PHA, a natural polymer with an impressive array of 150 discovered monomer types, offers vast potential with over 10 billion unique combinations. Using Halomonas and NGIB technology, Phabuilder creates a range of polymers from three essential PHA monomers, among the highest in the industry, and is prepared to explore further among the 150 found types. In this way, Phabuilder delivers customised and diverse product solutions tailored to customers’ needs at the forefront of bioplastic technology. “With our commitment to versatile, sustainable material innovation, we are not just participating in the market, but redefining it.”
Announced at the 3rd PHA World Congress in 2023, the PHAmily initiative underscores their commitment to diversifying PHA applications. Including PHAmily, PHAbrary, and PHAdustry, this initiative catalyses an ecosystem of innovation. PHAmily supplies a variety of PHA samples to research centers globally, seeding biopolymer breakthroughs. PHAbrary extends this with in-depth PHA research and characterisation. Finally, PHAdustry turns these insights into market successes, collaborating internationally to deliver sustainable PHA solutions.
The PHA Life philosophy drives the diversification of PHA applications across distinct market segments. In the low-end category, Phabuilder innovates with eco-friendly tableware and coffee capsules. They excel in the mid-range segment, delivering advanced lifestyle products, maternal and baby items, and cosmetic packaging. In the high-end spectrum, they are at the forefront with PHA’s pivotal role in medical innovations. “Each category showcases our commitment to pioneering impactful solutions and our leadership in adapting PHA to meet the varied needs of different markets.”