Draft:Ecopals

EcoPals GmbH
Company type
GmbH (Limited Liability Company)
IndustryBuilding materials industry
Founded2021
Headquarters
Berlin
Key people
Jonas Varga, Fabian Zitzmann

EcoPals GmbH (stylized as: ecopals) is a German start-up headquartered in Berlin, active in the road construction and building materials industry. The company develops materials for the production and polymer modification of asphalt that contain recycled plastics as a component. The company's product range includes the EcoFlakes product line.[1]

History

In 2019, a project emerged within the NePals e. V. initiative in Nepal that dealt with the use of recycled plastic in road construction and is considered the precursor to the later founding of the company.[2]

In 2020, a spin-off project was initiated under the AHEAD programme by Fraunhofer Venture in cooperation with the Fraunhofer Institute for Chemical Technology, focusing on the use of recycled plastics in road construction.[3]

In 2021, EcoPals GmbH was founded. The founding was supported by the Fraunhofer Technology Transfer Fund (FTTF), which specialises in financing technology-oriented spin-offs.

In 2022, the HTGF, a venture capital fund supported by the Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Climate Action, acquired a stake in the company.[4][5]

In 2024, ecopals closed a Series A funding round. The new investors include Mitteldeutsche Hartstein-Industrie, a German corporate group focused on the production of raw and building materials as well as road construction; Après-demain, the holding company of a private Swiss family group; and Companisto, a private investor network for the DACH region (Germany, Austria, Switzerland).[6][7][8][9]

Products and Technology

With EcoFlakes, ecopals offers asphalt-modifying additives for polymer modification based on recycled plastics. EcoFlakes are used for the direct modification of asphalt mixes at asphalt mixing plants.[10]

The products serve as a substitute for synthetic polymers as well as for portions of the binding agent bitumen in asphalt mixtures, thereby contributing to the reduction of the CO₂ footprint in road construction.[11]

In addition, the company is developing a virtual laboratory that uses simulation and artificial intelligence to support the development and optimisation of materials.[12]

Application Areas and Projects

EcoFlakes are used in road and traffic surface construction. Areas of application include, among others, the construction and maintenance of roads, parking areas, and logistics and industrial surfaces.

The material is used within the framework of conventional asphalt construction methods, with the materials being processed directly at asphalt mixing plants.[13]

By 2025, EcoFlakes had been used in more than 40 projects across seven countries.[14][15] Applications in Germany include, among others, a section of the Rader Hochbrücke on Federal Motorway A7[16] near Rendsburg, and a section of Federal Motorway A480 near Blasbach.[17]

In international project business, EcoFlakes were used in the United Kingdom as part of several construction projects carried out in collaboration with local authorities and construction companies, including Hochtief.[18][19][20][21]

Reception and Awards

ecopals has been featured in various media in connection with the use of recycled plastics in road construction.[22] Reports appeared in, among others, WirtschaftsWoche[23] and Capital[24], as well as in television programmes such as Galileo and a documentary by Mitteldeutscher Rundfunk[25], both of which illustrate the use of EcoFlakes in asphalt construction.

Furthermore, the company has been covered in the context of technology-oriented spin-offs and financing.[26][27][28]

For its work in the field of sustainable materials and building materials in road construction, ecopals has received the following awards:

  • 2025: Awarded the "IRF Start-Up Label" by the International Road Federation at the IRF Annual Conference 2025.[29]
  • 2025: Finalist for the German Sustainability Award (Transformation Field: Resources).[30]
  • 2022: Winner of the Innovation Prize Berlin Brandenburg.[31]

References

  1. ^ "Berlin is knorke: Straßen aus Altplastik". www.berlin-partner.de (in German). Retrieved 2026-04-27.
  2. ^ "HEY - Im Gespräch mit Impact-Gründer:innen: Fabien von NIDISI/ECOPALS". Leuphana Universität Lüneburg (in German). Retrieved 2026-04-27.
  3. ^ "Neue Straßen mit altem Plastik: das Fraunhofer Spin-off Projekt EcoPals will kommunale Müllberge für nachhaltigere Straßen nutzen". Fraunhofer Venture (in German). Retrieved 2026-04-27.
  4. ^ "ecopals sichert sich siebenstellige Finanzierung durch High-Tech Gründerfonds und Fraunhofer Technologie-Transfer Fonds". MAJUNKE.com (in German). 2022-09-09. Retrieved 2026-04-27.
  5. ^ "HTGF Investment ecopals" (in German). Retrieved 2026-04-27.
  6. ^ "Ecopals schließt erfolgreiche Finanzierungsrunde über insgesamt 4 Millionen Euro mit Companisto, der MHI Gruppe und Après-demain SA ab". Companisto (in German). Retrieved 2026-04-27.
  7. ^ Colas, Johanna (2024-08-07). "Après-demain SA invests in Ecopals". Après-demain. Retrieved 2026-04-27.
  8. ^ "Die MHI AG beteiligt sich am Berliner Start-up ecopals und setzt auf nachhaltige Innovation im Asphaltbereich". MHI Gruppe (in German). 2026-03-12. Retrieved 2026-04-27.
  9. ^ Nemitz, Marc (2024-08-07). "Ecopals sammelt 4 Millionen Euro für nachhaltige Straßenbaumaterialien ein". www.startbase.de (in German). Retrieved 2026-04-27.
  10. ^ "Start | ecopals Straßenbau Additive". ecopals Website (in German). Retrieved 2026-04-27.
  11. ^ Hasler, Florian (2025-04-01). "ecopals erschliesst mit nachhaltigen Strassenbaumaterialien den internationalen Markt". Startupszene (in German). Retrieved 2026-04-27.
  12. ^ "ProFIT Virtual Lab". ecopals Website (in German). Retrieved 2026-04-27.
  13. ^ "Mehr Nachhaltigkeit durch Polymere aus Sekundärrohstoffen - MHI NATURSTEIN & BAUSTOFFSERVICE GMBH". www.mhi-nbs.de. Retrieved 2026-04-27.
  14. ^ Macatangay, Mao (2026-02-13). "On the Road with ecopals: Innovation After the IRF 2025 Start-Up Label Win". International Road Federation. Retrieved 2026-04-27.
  15. ^ "German startup brings recycled-plastic asphalt to Scotland". Scottish Construction Now. 2025-10-17. Retrieved 2026-04-27.
  16. ^ Julia, Jänisch. "Altplastik im Asphalt - "Ecopals" kommt auf A7 zum Einsatz". ndr.de (in German). Retrieved 2026-04-27.
  17. ^ "Müll in Straßendecke bei Wetzlar verbaut". Mittelhessen (in German). 2024-12-03. Retrieved 2026-04-27.
  18. ^ "'We are thrilled' - North Lanarkshire park trial sees road made with recycled plastic". Glasgow Times. 2026-03-20. Retrieved 2026-04-27.
  19. ^ "Ecopals accelerates sustainable road construction with recycled plastic asphalt additive". Highways News. 2026-03-20. Retrieved 2026-04-27.
  20. ^ "Recycled plastic technology used on UK road for first time | North Lanarkshire Council". www.northlanarkshire.gov.uk. Retrieved 2026-04-27.
  21. ^ "Plastic roads? North Lanarkshire's bold recycling experiment is already paying off". The Herald. 2025-10-20. Retrieved 2026-04-27.
  22. ^ "Plastikmüll im Asphalt: Berliner Start-up will den Straßenbau revolutionieren". Der Tagesspiegel Online (in German). ISSN 1865-2263. Retrieved 2026-04-27.
  23. ^ Kroker, Michael (2024-11-28). "Ecopals: Kann das Start-up Nico Rosberg als Investor überzeugen?". www.wiwo.de (in German). Retrieved 2026-04-27.
  24. ^ "Das Start-up Ecopals nutzt Plastikabfälle für den Straßenbau". capital.de (in German). 2025-04-05. Retrieved 2026-04-27.
  25. ^ Einfach genial (2024-03-19). Sieht so die Autobahn der Zukunft aus? | Einfach Genial. Retrieved 2026-04-27 – via YouTube.
  26. ^ Nemitz, Marc (2024-08-07). "Ecopals sammelt 4 Millionen Euro für nachhaltige Straßenbaumaterialien ein". www.startbase.de (in German). Retrieved 2026-04-27.
  27. ^ Macatangay, Mao (2025-12-05). "Ecopals Awarded the IRF Start-Up Label 2025 at the IRF Annual Conference". International Road Federation. Retrieved 2026-04-27.
  28. ^ Werner, Said D.; Hoeger, Thomas J. (2025-05-12). "Forschungspolitik der USA: Lockt die US-Wissenschaftler nach Deutschland!". Die Zeit (in German). ISSN 0044-2070. Retrieved 2026-04-27.
  29. ^ Macatangay, Mao (2025-12-05). "Ecopals Awarded the IRF Start-Up Label 2025 at the IRF Annual Conference". International Road Federation. Retrieved 2026-04-27.
  30. ^ "Finalisten Ressourcen". Deutscher Nachhaltigkeitspreis (in German). Retrieved 2026-04-27.
  31. ^ "ecopals GmbH – Innovationspreis Berlin Brandenburg" (in German). Retrieved 2026-04-27.

Category:Companies established in 2021 Category:Companies based in Berlin

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