The road gives back.
The world's first biodegradable rubber compound built from NZ green-lipped mussel shell. Every particle that wears off returns to the earth. Engineered as a direct drop-in for existing manufacturing.
Synthetic rubber
is everywhere. Forever.
microplastics
per year globally
in synthetic rubber
annually · growing
It never breaks down
Every step. Every kilometre. Synthetic rubber sheds invisible particles into waterways, soil, and lungs. They accumulate permanently — in fish tissue, in drinking water, in the human bloodstream.
Permanent contaminationEVs make it worse
Electric vehicles are heavier — more battery weight means more tyre wear per kilometre. The clean energy transition has a dirty rubber problem. Current regulations can't keep up.
EV weight factorToxic chemistry
The additive 6PPD — present in virtually every synthetic tyre — converts to 6PPD-quinone in the environment. It causes mass fish die-offs in urban streams. Zinc oxide from wear particles disrupts marine ecosystems.
6PPD · Zinc oxideThe industry has no answer
The EU's Euro 7 standard is the first regulatory attempt to limit tyre particle emissions. A global plastics treaty barely mentions rubber wear. No manufacturer currently offers a biodegradable alternative at scale.
Regulatory gap · 2026Wear it down.
Watch it return.
A rubber that was designed to disappear.
Greenlipp's composite is a durable blend of bioplastics and organic additives, formulated as a direct substitute for synthetic rubber in existing manufacturing lines. Same moulds. Same machinery. No retooling.
As the compound wears, every residual particle biodegrades — in soil, in water, and in the marine environment. Not slower degradation. Full return.
The core ingredient is ground green-lipped mussel shell — a uniquely NZ-sourced calcium carbonate (CaCO₃) found in no other rubber compound on earth.
Green-Lipped Mussel Shell
NZ-sourced · ground shell · ocean-derived calcium carbonate
Bioplastic Rubber Base
Durable · soil-degradable · marine-certified
Performance Additives
Durability · conductivity · application-specific
Drop-In Compatible
Existing manufacturing lines · no capital retooling
R&D Partnership Open — Seeking a long-term research partner to refine compound ratios, test performance additives, and validate across applications. First target: footwear sole compound.
Surf Turf.
The field is changing.
released into EU environment
per year from turf fields
identified in crumb rubber
infill by Yale researchers
classified as carcinogens
by the US EPA
infill takes full effect
under REACH / ECHA
Crumb rubber is being banned. There is nothing to replace it with.
Crumb rubber — shredded synthetic tyre material — has been the dominant infill for artificial sports pitches worldwide for three decades. It cushions. It drains. It's cheap. And it's made from the same carcinogen-laden synthetic rubber that's contaminating the world's oceans.
A Yale study identified 306 chemicals in crumb rubber infill. 52 are classified as carcinogens by the US EPA. Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), benzene, PFAS "forever chemicals", and the tyre additive 6PPD — which converts to the fish-killing compound 6PPD-quinone in the environment — are all present.
The European Chemicals Agency identified artificial turf as the single largest source of intentionally added microplastics in the EU. In September 2023, the European Commission acted: crumb rubber infill is banned from October 2031. Thousands of clubs, councils, and stadium operators across Europe now have a hard deadline and no certified alternative.
ECHA ban · October 2031 · No current replacementSurf Turf — the world's first biodegradable turf infill compound.
Surf Turf applies the Greenlipp CaCO₃ compound to the turf infill market. The same core innovation — ground NZ green-lipped mussel shell blended with a bioplastic rubber base — formulated to the particle size, density, and performance characteristics required for artificial pitch infill.
It performs the same cushioning and drainage function as crumb rubber. When particles migrate into soil and waterways — as all infill does — they biodegrade. No PAHs. No 6PPD. No microplastic accumulation. No cancer risk. And no need for field operators to redesign their surfaces: Surf Turf is a direct infill replacement.
This is the first Greenlipp product with an immediate, regulation-driven commercial pathway. The ban creates a hard market deadline. The market has nowhere else to go.
In-Stead.
Future-Proof Footwear.
Introducing the first shoe crafted with our proprietary Green-Lipped Mussel infused rubber. Sustainable, high-performance, and designed for the planet.
-
Zero Microplastic
Engineered to leave no trace in our water systems.
-
Biodegradable Sole
Circular design that returns to the earth after its long life.
-
Ocean-Informed Design
Hydrodynamic textures for superior grip and airflow.
Four phases.
One mission.
Biodegradable replacement for crumb rubber in artificial sports pitch infill. EU ban on crumb rubber takes effect October 2031 — five years to become the certified alternative at scale.
Drop-in replacement for synthetic rubber in footwear soles. B2B supply to manufacturers. Same moulds, same lines — zero microplastic output. The entry point for a category transformation.
Compound scaled for bicycle tyre tread. Sustainability-forward customer base, lighter vehicle loads, ideal for compound validation at real-world scale before automotive entry.
Full car tyre tread compound. The 2-billion-tyre-per-year market. The largest single source of microplastic pollution on earth — and the most significant commercial opportunity in sustainable materials.
Who this is
built for.
- Nike, Adidas, New Balance, Allbirds — active sustainability mandates
- ESG reporting pressure from investors and regulators
- First mover becomes the brand story for a decade
- No retooling required — procurement decision, not engineering
- Materials are 70% of footwear carbon footprint
- EVs produce more tyre wear per km due to battery weight
- Euro 7 mandates tyre particle emission limits from 2026
- GLR compound = regulatory compliance solution
- Tesla, BMW EV, Rivian face mounting scrutiny
- Premium EV buyers expect premium eco credentials
- NZ green-lipped mussel — protected, unique, unmatched
- "Made in NZ" is a global quality and trust signal
- NZ Govt. sustainability and innovation grants available
- EU, North America, Australia pipeline
- Origin story cannot be replicated by any competitor
The path
forward.
R&D Partnership
Lock in a university or materials science partner. Refine compound ratios. Test performance additives for durability and conductivity. Validate full biodegradation in soil and marine environments.
Footwear Pilot
First commercial application. In-Stead sole compound supplied to a pilot manufacturer. Performance testing, real-world wear data, independent validation. Build the evidence base.
Bike Tyre · Musselgrip
Compound scaled to bicycle tyre tread. Sustainability-motivated market. Lighter loads make compound tuning more manageable. Builds the performance data stack for automotive entry.
Car Tyre · Greenlipp
Full car tyre tread compound at global scale. B2B supply to the world's major tyre manufacturers. The largest microplastic solution commercially viable on earth.
Investor note — Seeking R&D funding for Phase 01. Long-term partnership model with IP protection via composition patent on NZ mussel shell CaCO₃ compound. First-mover advantage in a market with zero current solutions. The science is proven. The compound works. We are building the product.
The window is
open.
Euro 7 changes everything
The EU's Euro 7 regulation — active from 2025 — is the first legislation anywhere to mandate limits on tyre particle emissions from vehicles. This is not a future risk. It is a present compliance requirement facing every manufacturer selling into the EU market.
Greenlipp is not a bet on regulation coming. Regulation is already here. We are the only material currently in development that addresses the source, not the symptom.
Euro 7 · 2025 · Compliance mandateZero current solutions
No manufacturer — tyre or footwear — currently offers a biodegradable rubber compound at commercial scale. The gap between the regulatory demand and the available supply is total. First-mover advantage in this space is not incremental. It is categorical.
No competition · Category creationHeavier cars, more wear
Electric vehicles average 20–30% more tyre wear per kilometre than ICE vehicles due to battery weight and instant torque delivery. The EV transition — celebrated as a climate solution — is accelerating the tyre microplastic problem faster than any prior technology shift.
EV weight · Accelerating demandThings no one
else can say.
The only ingredient of its kind on earth
New Zealand green-lipped mussel shell as a CaCO₃ rubber filler is unique to Greenlipp. The species is indigenous to Aotearoa, sustainably harvested at scale through an established aquaculture industry, and produces a shell chemistry found nowhere else. This is a geographical and biological moat. It cannot be replicated offshore.
Drop-in compatibility eliminates the adoption barrier
The single greatest obstacle to material innovation in manufacturing is retooling cost. Greenlipp removes it entirely. Our compound is formulated to work in existing rubber manufacturing lines with no capital expenditure required from the partner. The procurement decision is chemical, not infrastructural.
Full biodegradation — not slower degradation
Most "sustainable" material claims in this space are relative improvements — less toxic, slower accumulation, reduced chemical load. Greenlipp's proposition is categorically different: full return to soil and marine environments. Every particle that wears off ceases to exist as a pollutant. This is a binary claim, not a spectrum one, and it changes the entire compliance and marketing conversation for any manufacturer that adopts it.
NZ origin is a global trust asset
New Zealand's international reputation for environmental integrity, clean food systems, and honest science is unmatched at the national brand level. "Made in NZ, from the ocean floor" is not marketing copy — it is a provenance claim that resonates across EU, US, and Asian markets in ways that no competitor headquartered elsewhere can replicate. The story cannot be bought. It has to be true.
Let's build
this together.
Greenlipp is actively seeking two things: an R&D partner to refine and validate the compound, and investment to fund that research phase. If you are a materials scientist, a university research group, a sustainability-focused fund, or a manufacturer who wants to be first — this is the conversation.
We are not looking for advisors or amplifiers. We are looking for people who want to be part of building the solution to the largest unaddressed microplastic problem on earth.
Tesla · Michelin · Bridgestone
Confidential — This document is intended for prospective research, investment, and manufacturing partners. Not for public distribution.