Hamburg start-up opens world's first production facility for plastic-free materials
On May 13, 2026, the Hamburg start-up Traceless opened the world's first production facility for bio-circular, plastic-free materials in Hamburg-Harburg. What was long considered a vision is now tangible on an industrial scale for the first time – an important step forward in dealing with plastic and its consequences for the environment.
The project was supported by the Federal Ministry for the Environment with approximately five million euros. In addition to Federal Environment Minister Carsten Schneider, representatives from the Otto Group and OTTO, who have been strategic partners of Traceless for years and actively promote its development, also attended the celebratory opening.
Milestone for plastic-free products
What Traceless has developed is more than just a new material: it's a new approach to resource management. Made from agricultural residues, the material does not compete with food production. It is free of harmful chemicals and microplastics and can be returned to the cycle under natural conditions.
This creates solutions that work in everyday life – without harming the environment. In the future, the material is also expected to be used in mail order. The Otto Group and OTTO are already actively advancing this application as part of a pilot project.
The opening of our production facility means that our innovative process, in which we produce a natural plastic substitute from agricultural industry residues, is being used on a large industrial scale for the first time.
The opening showed the relevance such innovations now have: In addition to Federal Environment Minister Carsten Schneider, Hamburg's Senator for the Environment Katharina Fegebank, Dr. Michael Otto (Honorary Chairman of the Supervisory Board of the Otto Group), and Dr. Boris Ewenstein (CEO of OTTO) were also present – a strong signal for the future of sustainable technologies.
Otto Group makes packaging more circular
For the Otto Group, this commitment is not new territory. For many years, it has been working to make packaging more resource-efficient and continuously develop it further. This commitment follows the understanding of taking on social, digital, and ecological responsibility with ambitious goals.
Today, its own shipping bags consist of at least 80 percent recycled plastic, shipping cartons are FSC-certified and also contain at least 80 percent recycled material. At the same time, digital calculation models help to reduce empty volumes and lower CO₂ emissions through better utilization of transport capacities.
Even today, almost all shipping packaging in the Otto Group consists of more sustainable materials, i.e., at least 80 percent recycled material.
Innovations like Traceless show that responsibility and profitability work together. We see here the scaling of a truly forward-looking innovation, which makes me confident for future generations.
OTTO as a catalyst within the Group
Within the Otto Group, the Group company OTTO plays an important role in the development and implementation of new packaging solutions. Already today, the company uses recycled plastic for its shipping bags, which is obtained in cooperation with the Hamburg start-up Wildplastic from plastic collected in the environment. OTTO consciously pursues different approaches to gradually make packaging more circular and resource-efficient.
OTTO is also breaking new ground with its cartons: by the end of 2027, all shipping cartons are to contain the highest possible proportion of paludi biomass – extracted from peatlands. This protects peatlands as important CO₂ reservoirs and at the same time opens up new economic perspectives.
The partnership with Traceless is another consistent step on this path. As part of a pilot project, OTTO wants to develop a bio-based shipping bag that can be biodegraded within a few weeks. In the future, it is intended to replace the existing shipping bags and significantly reduce environmental pollution. OTTO and the Otto Group want to contribute significantly to scaling this forward-looking solution as strategic partners.
Our ambition as the Otto Group is to disseminate sustainable solutions widely. The cooperation between OTTO and Traceless is a wonderful example of this.
Shaping the Future Together
The new Traceless facility stands for what is possible when innovation, entrepreneurship, and partnerships come together. It shows how ideas become concrete solutions – and how economic success can be combined with ecological responsibility.
The Otto Group intends to continue to actively shape this change: by promoting new technologies, through collaborative partnerships – and by the ambition to bring more sustainable solutions into everyday life.
© Fotocredit: Jonas Walter; Otto Group
