Smart Plastic and its SPTek ECLIPSE® bio-assimilation technology took the top honor at Trellis Impact 26 in San Francisco.
CHICAGO, Ill. — June 26, 2026 — Smart Plastic Technologies, LLC has been named Trellis Group’s 2026 Climate Tech Startup of the Year, an honor awarded following a live pitch competition on June 25 at Trellis Impact 26 in San Francisco. The company, maker of SPTek ECLIPSE® bio-assimilation technology, was selected from a field of finalists whose innovations spanned battery materials, industrial waste-to-chemicals, critical-mineral recovery, and advanced coatings.
Smart Plastic earned the top vote from the audience for an additive technology aimed at the roughly 91 percent of plastic that is never recycled. Chief Sustainability Officer Sumathi Pakki delivered the company’s winning remarks.
“Plastic was not designed with its end in mind. We changed that.”
— Sumathi Pakki, Chief Sustainability Officer
Smart Plastic was earlier named to Trellis’s “15 Climate Tech Startups to Watch in 2026” in the material innovation category, a list reserved for seed to Series A companies with real traction and customers already signed up. The recognition places Smart Plastic among the climate technologies that corporate buyers, operators, and investors are prioritizing for near-term deployment.
SPTek ECLIPSE® is a drop-in additive used at approximately one percent inclusion, with no new equipment required. It is designed to preserve performance during use, then support bio-assimilation of the plastic to carbon dioxide, water, and biomass if the material is not recovered, as validated by independent laboratories.
“This recognition belongs to a team that has chosen to win on science and credibility rather than hype. It comes at a moment when brand owners need end-of-life solutions that are operationally realistic and ready to scale.” — Yaman Peksenar, Director of Science & Technology
Smart Plastic Technologies, based in Wheeling, Illinois, develops materials solutions designed to improve the end-of-life outcomes of everyday plastic. Its platform, including its patented SPTek ECLIPSE® bio-assimilation technology, is built to work with conventional polyolefins while supporting a more responsible pathway when plastic is not recovered. Smart Plastic Technologies is a Certified B Corporation. Learn more at changetheplastic.com.
View the presentation on our YouTube channel: https://youtu.be/gPt4zUasQyk
CHICAGO, Ill. — June 26, 2026 — Smart Plastic Technologies, LLC has been named Trellis Group’s 2026 Climate Tech Startup of the Year, an honor awarded following a live pitch competition on June 25 at Trellis Impact 26 in San Francisco. The company, maker of SPTek ECLIPSE® bio-assimilation technology, was selected from a field of finalists whose innovations spanned battery materials, industrial waste-to-chemicals, critical-mineral recovery, and advanced coatings.
Smart Plastic earned the top vote from the audience for an additive technology aimed at the roughly 91 percent of plastic that is never recycled. Chief Sustainability Officer Sumathi Pakki delivered the company’s winning remarks.
“Plastic was not designed with its end in mind. We changed that.”
— Sumathi Pakki, Chief Sustainability Officer
Smart Plastic was earlier named to Trellis’s “15 Climate Tech Startups to Watch in 2026” in the material innovation category, a list reserved for seed to Series A companies with real traction and customers already signed up. The recognition places Smart Plastic among the climate technologies that corporate buyers, operators, and investors are prioritizing for near-term deployment.
SPTek ECLIPSE® is a drop-in additive used at approximately one percent inclusion, with no new equipment required. It is designed to preserve performance during use, then support bio-assimilation of the plastic to carbon dioxide, water, and biomass if the material is not recovered, as validated by independent laboratories.
“This recognition belongs to a team that has chosen to win on science and credibility rather than hype. It comes at a moment when brand owners need end-of-life solutions that are operationally realistic and ready to scale.” — Yaman Peksenar, Director of Science & Technology
Smart Plastic Technologies, based in Wheeling, Illinois, develops materials solutions designed to improve the end-of-life outcomes of everyday plastic. Its platform, including its patented SPTek ECLIPSE® bio-assimilation technology, is built to work with conventional polyolefins while supporting a more responsible pathway when plastic is not recovered. Smart Plastic Technologies is a Certified B Corporation. Learn more at changetheplastic.com.
View the presentation on our YouTube channel: https://youtu.be/gPt4zUasQyk
Our Chief Sustainability Officer Suma Pakki takes the Startup Day Mainstage in San Francisco this week, pitching ECLIPSE™ as a Materials finalist for Trellis Group's Startup of the Year.
Trellis’s annual list goes beyond a simple shoutout. Selected startups get profiled on Trellis.net, pitch in webinars to climate executives and investors, and compete for Startup of the Year at Trellis Impact 26 in San Francisco.
