Our journey to sustainable materials
On 30 September 2024, we're celebrating the 10th anniversary of Golden Compound GmbH. It all started with a simple but revolutionary idea: using sunflower seed husks as a filler and reinforcing material in plastics. What began as a joint project between Ullrich Wendeln and Ullrich Meyer quickly developed into a company offering sustainable plastic solutions for a wide range of industries.
The idea started with...
The idea for Golden Compound was born when Ullrich Wendeln and Ullrich Meyer joined forces with Peter Wendeln to set up SPC Sunflower Plastic Compound GmbH. The idea of using sunflower seed husks as a sustainable raw material got a great response right from the start. In 2014, we teamed up with Cargill and started producing 3,000 tonnes of S²PC (Sustainable Sunflower Plastic Compound) a year in Ladbergen, North Rhine-Westphalia.
These early years were all about innovation and growth. In 2016, we became a wholly owned subsidiary of SPC Sunflower Plastic Compound GmbH and kept on expanding our portfolio. We invented two main materials: GOLDEN COMPOUND pro for durable applications and GOLDEN COMPOUND green, our home compostable material. We later shortened the names to GC pro and GC green.
Innovations on the way
Right from the start, we've been committed to developing environmentally friendly and sustainable materials. Our main focus has always been on conserving resources by using residual materials, such as sunflower seed husks. One of our best projects was launching the HOMEcap coffee capsule in 2018. As the first coffee capsule in the world to be certified as both industrial and home compostable, we set the bar high in the packaging industry. Thanks to a lot of research and technical know-how, we've managed to develop a coffee capsule that's not only sustainable but can also be used in all standard Nespresso machines. This achievement has been recognised with several international awards, including the PSI Sustainable Product Award and the Biocomposite of the Year 2019.
We also showed our innovative strength in the further development of our GC green materials. We teamed up with Pottburri to launch a soil-degradable plant pot on the market. The idea was great, but there were still a few kinks to work out in the execution. The main issue with soil-degradable plant pots is that they have to make it through the cultivation period in the nursery. We've been working on this for years now, and we're also in touch with various nurseries and tree nurseries to bounce ideas around. We came up with the best version of our recipe in 2024, and it's currently being certified as OK-Biodegradable-Soil. However, as this will take a while, we can only confirm that our plant pot recipe has passed the pollutant tests with flying colours.
Challenges and growth
Like a lot of other companies, we've had our fair share of challenges in recent years. The pandemic and the restrictions that came with it meant we had to be flexible and adaptable. Switching to contract manufacturing in 2022 was a big move for us to stay competitive and keep offering our customers top-quality products. Thanks to some great partners in production, we're in a better place than ever.
In 2023, we were able to show off another new and improved version of our HOMEcap coffee capsules, with better barrier properties and amazing taste. Unfortunately, we had to do without the sunflower seed shell in the new recipe. Both the HOMEcap barrier and the HOMEcap high barrier are certified by TÜV Austria with OK-Compost-Home and are changing the capsule market in Europe and Oceania. We also think our patented combination of capsule and sealing film is the best home-compostable coffee capsule on the market. See for yourself.
We had such good experiences with the capsule formula that we also responded to a customer request from Global Innovations Germany. We developed a dishwasher-safe and biodegradable material, called the GC green 71 MI T30. We've found that we also need to remove the sunflower seed husk to make it dishwasher-safe. The material only biodegrades when it comes into contact with microbes in the soil. A lot of people think that the material will decompose just by looking at it, but that's not how it works. You can leave it in the cupboard for several years (or even decades) and then continue to use it (like a coffee mug, for example).
A quick peek into the future: sustainability and recycling are joining forces
It's our anniversary year, 2024, and we're excited to announce the launch of new GC pro materials made from recycled polypropylene (PCR) and sunflower seed shells. These materials are a great way to reduce CO₂ emissions while maintaining the same high technical performance. We're proud to contribute to the development of a circular economy that reduces plastic waste and creates sustainable alternatives.
What's next
After 10 years of great new ideas and exciting projects, we're feeling positive about the future. Our mission is simple: we want to keep developing sustainable and environmentally friendly materials that can meet the challenges of the modern world. We're looking forward to presenting our latest developments at the Fakuma trade fair in October 2024, and we're excited to engage in dialogue with experts.
We've had some great success recently, and we think it's down to hard work, passion and good partnerships. We'd like to thank everyone who has been with us on this journey so far, and we're looking forward to the next few years of innovation and growth.
