March 27, 2026

From Lab to Market: How BIO-SUSHY Is Turning Safer Coatings into Real Products

You’ve probably heard about PFAS by now, the so-called “forever chemicals” that stick around in our environment and even in our bodies. The good news? Europe is moving toward restricting them [1].

BIO-SUSHY is developing PFAS-free, bio-based coatings for real products you know. Think rain jackets that keep you dry, takeout food containers that resist grease, and sleek glass bottles for your cosmetics. These coatings are designed for textiles, food packaging, and glass cosmetic containers that are part of daily routines. But inventing safer material in the lab is only half the story. The real challenge is making it work at an industrial scale—reliably, affordably, and safely.

That’s where this article’s journey from lab to market begins.

Figure 1: From laboratory breakthrough to real-world impact: how BIO-SUSHY transforms sustainable innovation into products you use every day (image generated with AI, Canva, 2026).

Why Scaling Up Matters

In a laboratory, researchers work with small batches, controlled conditions, and specialized equipment. It is the perfect place to test ideas.

But markets do not run on small batches.

If we want PFAS-free coatings on your rain jacket, your takeaway bowl, or your cosmetic bottle, production must shift from tiny 100-gram batches to industrial runs of 10,000 kilograms or more.

Scaling up is the bridge between innovation and impact.

Without it, even the best green technology stays stuck in research settings. Meanwhile, the costs of inaction keep rising: communities face escalating health risks, expensive cleanup efforts, and lost opportunities for new jobs and industry growth.

Figure 2: Scaling up means moving from small lab samples to industrial production without compromising performance (image generated with AI, Canva, 2026).

What Makes Scaling Up So Challenging?

Moving from lab success to commercial production is exciting, but it is not simple.
Here are some of the main challenges BIO-SUSHY is tackling:

1️⃣ Consistency at Industrial Scale

A coating that performs perfectly in a lab must behave the same way on a fast-moving industrial production line.

That means:

Same water and oil repellency
Same durability
Same safety profile

Small variations in temperature, mixing, or drying can make a big difference when production volumes increase. The BIO-SUSHY team continuously adjusts and optimizes processes to ensure stable, repeatable results. We follow rigorous safety checks at every stage of scaling up, testing each batch to confirm that the coatings remain safe, effective, and reliable before they reach the market. This ongoing quality control helps guarantee that the final product consistently meets high health and safety standards as per the SSbD approach.

Figure 3: Adapting new PFAS-free coatings to fast-moving industrial production lines is a key step toward market adoption (image generated with AI, Canva, 2026).

2️⃣ Keeping It Affordable

Sustainability only works if businesses can afford it.

BIO-SUSHY focuses on:

Efficient production methods
Compatibility with existing industrial equipment
Reducing material waste

The goal is simple: make the safer option a competitive option. For businesses, this means the shift to PFAS-free coatings should not just be safer, but also make financial sense. However, at the current stage of the project, this cost analysis has not yet been carried out, and it is planned for the upcoming months.

3️⃣ Meeting Regulatory Standards

Europe already restricts certain PFAS, and discussions about broader bans are ongoing at the European Chemicals Agency (ECHA) [1].

Any new coating must:

Comply with EU chemical safety rules
Meet food-contact standards (for packaging applications)
Pass durability and safety testing

Scaling up means preparing for real-world regulatory scrutiny, not just lab validation.

4️⃣ Gaining Market Trust

Companies are cautious when switching materials.

Manufacturers need proof that new coatings:

Perform just as well as PFAS-based ones
Do not disrupt their production lines
Will not create unexpected costs

That is why BIO-SUSHY works closely with industry partners from the early development stages. For example, BIO-SUSHY is collaborating in pilot projects with textile manufacturers and food packaging suppliers (e.g., Ecozema) to test our PFAS-free coatings under real industrial conditions.

Figure 4: Water repellency without “forever chemicals”: performance you can see (image generated with AI, Canva, 2026).

How BIO-SUSHY Is Making It Happen

Scaling up is not a single step. It is a strategy.

🤝 Industry Partnerships

Working directly with manufacturers allows BIO-SUSHY to test coatings under realistic conditions. Instead of designing in isolation, the team adapts solutions to actual market needs.

🔄 Step-by-Step Scaling

Instead of jumping directly to mass production, BIO-SUSHY approaches scaling up like a story unfolding chapter by chapter. At first, the lab acts as the inventor’s workshop, where imagination and scientific curiosity spark new ideas and every result is carefully measured. Next comes the pilot production stage, the apprentice phase, where the recipe leaves the inventor’s hands and is put to the test in a setting meant to learn, adapt, and grow. Here, each small batch is a lesson, refining what works and what needs improvement. Finally, the process steps onto the stage of industrial testing: the performer, called to show its reliability and resilience in the spotlight of real-world demand. In this setting, the coating must deliver consistent quality at scale, demonstrating its readiness for the market.

🌱 Building a Sustainable Supply Chain

Bio-based coatings depend on reliable raw materials.

That means working with suppliers to ensure:

Stable availability
Responsible sourcing
Quality consistency

Safety and sustainability must apply to the whole value chain.

Why Now Is the Right Time

Consumer awareness of PFAS is growing. More people want products that are safer for their health and better for the environment.

At the same time:

PFAS contamination has been documented across thousands of sites in Europe [2].
EU policy discussions are moving toward broader PFAS restrictions [1].

Industries are actively searching for alternatives.

BIO-SUSHY’s technologies are entering the market at a moment when demand for PFAS-free solutions is stronger than ever.

Figure 5: Stronger European regulations are accelerating the transition toward safer, PFAS-free alternatives (Image by wirestock on Freepik).

What This Means for You

Scaling up BIO-SUSHY technologies means:

Outdoor clothing that repels water without relying on “forever chemicals”
Food packaging designed with safety in mind
Cosmetic containers coated with safe materials

The BIO-SUSHY approach is not just about replacing one ingredient.
It is about redesigning materials from the start, using a Safe and Sustainable by Design approach aligned with the EU’s ambitions for safer chemicals [3].

Figure 5: From textiles to cosmetic containers and food packaging: safer coatings designed for everyday life.

What can you do?

Whether you are a consumer, a business, or a policymaker, you have a direct role in supporting the shift to safer materials:

Consumers: Look for PFAS-free labels and choose products from brands that are committed to safer, more sustainable materials. Supporting these brands with your choices encourages more companies to adopt greener solutions, helping to drive the change from lab innovations to everyday products.
Brands and manufacturers: Join pilot programs to test and implement PFAS-free coatings in your product lines, and work with innovators like BIO-SUSHY to stay ahead of regulatory changes and consumer demand.
Policymakers and regulators: Support faster review processes for safe alternatives and help create incentives for industry adoption, driving the transition to safer chemicals across the market.

Looking Ahead

The journey from lab to market is demanding, but it’s where real change happens. BIO-SUSHY expects to begin with pilot launches within the next few months, followed by commercialization in the next approximately 24 months, depending on certification steps. Wider availability in mainstream retail outlets is planned to follow as partnerships and production scale up. This means that coated materials developed within BIO-SUSHY will reach the market by 2028.

BIO-SUSHY’s next steps include: