(Translated with MistralAI without further editing)

Innovation, sustainability, and the power of natural resources: Since our last conversation over five years ago, Lignopure has not only achieved significant milestones but also demonstrated how lignin, as a key raw material, can revolutionize the bioeconomy. In this interview, Wienke Reynolds shares fascinating insights into the company’s development, the potential of lignin, and the vision for a more sustainable chemical and materials industry.

Dear Wienke, it’s wonderful to have you back in the hot seat after more than five years—we’re thrilled to welcome you again! So much must have happened since our last conversation. Could you briefly share where Lignopure stands today and what milestones you’ve achieved in recent years?

Dear Anja, thank you so much for the invitation to this interview again—so much has happened in the past five years, and it’s still incredibly exciting! Back then, we were in the intense phase of process and product optimization for our first product line, LignoBase, for the cosmetics sector. At Lignopure, we specialize in refining lignin into multifunctional natural ingredients.

We spun off from research at the Technical University of Hamburg and, with our seed funding, built our first products and processes. In 2023, we launched LignoBase nearly globally, established a distribution network, and provided samples to our first customers. In 2025, the first end products hit the market—our biggest milestone so far!

We also successfully closed another funding round. Currently, we’re working hard on launching a new product line for the paints and coatings sector, which we plan to introduce at the end of April.

Lignin is often discussed as a key raw material in the bioeconomy. What functional properties make lignin particularly interesting in your view—and what potential is still being underestimated?

Lignin is a key raw material for two reasons: First, it’s the second most abundant biopolymer in the world after cellulose—a massive byproduct of the pulp and biorefinery industries, yet by far the least utilized! This needs to change.

Second, lignin has very interesting protective functions in the cell walls of woody plants. These are functions for which few, if any, bio-based ingredients have been used in products so far. In addition to mechanical reinforcement, these include UV protection and antioxidant or free radical scavenging properties. Isolated lignins also exhibit oil-absorbing and sometimes film-forming properties. Depending on the raw material and extraction process, lignin has a specific brown hue, making it perfect for use as a bio-based pigment.

By transferring these natural protective functions from plants into products using our technology, we can improve the performance of new materials while reducing the use of environmentally and health-hazardous ingredients. These include UV filters, petroleum-based stabilizers, film formers, and boosters.

Lignopure is working to bring lignin into high-value applications. In which areas do you currently see the greatest potential—and what examples already show what is possible with lignin today?

If you look at current research projects on lignin, you’ll find almost everything imaginable: from bitumen and rubber to thermoplastics, duromers, paints and coatings, battery technology, carbon capture, food, animal feed, pharmaceutical applications—and, of course, cosmetics!

Focus is key. At Lignopure, we see our strength primarily in our pioneering work in the life sciences and high-value material applications, where performance is just as important as naturalness. The cosmetics market was the perfect starting point for us in many ways. With its natural functions, lignin can be used very effectively in natural sunscreen and skincare, as well as decorative products.

At the same time, the regulatory effort is lower than in other life science sectors, initial order quantities are moderate, and the market adopts innovations relatively quickly. Europe could learn a thing or two from other countries: The first product containing LignoBase was launched in South Korea, one of the leaders in high-quality, innovative product concepts. But products will soon follow in Europe as well!

You also contributed your lignin expertise to the BAMBI project—Market Potential of Wood-Based Bioeconomy. What exactly was your contribution? And how do you assess the market potential of lignin?

Yes, it was a truly valuable and productive day! I had the opportunity to bring Lignopure’s perspective and expertise to two focus groups and engage in intensive discussions with other experts and stakeholders. We all agreed that there needs to be more targeted funding for the development and CAPEX-intensive but absolutely essential scaling of lignin technologies. We also agreed that only strict regulations and quotas for sustainable raw materials will truly drive the industry to adopt bio-based ingredients on a large scale.

Looking ahead: What role do you think lignin can play in a more sustainable chemical and materials industry in the future—and what is Lignopure currently focusing on?

In my opinion, lignin must and will become one of the major pillars of our future bioeconomy. Worldwide, there is intensive work on adding value to biogenic byproducts and developing new biorefinery concepts. High-quality lignin is becoming increasingly available and must be utilized.

Additionally, regulatory limits and requirements for many persistent, bioaccumulative, or toxic substances are rising significantly, and genuine alternatives are still scarce. These include PFAS, microplastics, and UV filters, among others.

We are intensively working on opening up further markets that are strongly affected by these issues and where lignin’s functionalities offer particularly high potential. The next logical step for us is therefore to establish lignin—with its color, UV protection, and antioxidant activity—as a functional pigment in the paints, coatings, and varnishes sector.

Samples and further information about our new product line, Arbex, for the paints and coatings sector will be officially available at the end of April—this will be an exciting new market for us! Various lignins for further technical applications, such as in the polymer sector, can also be easily sourced through us.

About Wienke Reynolds

Wienke Reynolds is a co-founder and CTO of LignoPure GmbH. She studied bioprocess engineering at the Technical University of Hamburg and earned her PhD at the Institute of Thermal Process Engineering, specializing in biorefinery process development.