Bioserie, which launched in 2010 making phone covers from bioplastics, has moved into making eco-friendly toys.

Its teethers, rattles, interlocking disks, two-in-one stackers and shape-sorting cubes are made from a special material that is free from potentially harmful substances such as petrochemical additives and heavy metals, reports HKTDC’s Hong Kong Means Business.

“The recognition we gained internationally by experts in the field of biotechnologies and sustainability with our smartphone cases emboldened us to take the next step of making baby toys, which was already in our mind at the time when we founded the company,” says co-founder Stephanie Triau.

She says it can be hard to market plant-based plastic. “People are becoming more aware of petrochemicals, and regulations are changing as people realise the harm they can do. But it can be hard to make the consumer understand what you do when they see your product on the shelf.”

International certification

Bioserie has received several third-party certifications, some from the US Department of Agriculture’s Biopreferred Program.

“We’re also attending trade fairs in the toy and baby sector and plan to do more online advertising next year,” says Triau.
There are also plans to launch a dinnerware line by the end of next year.

Currently, 39 per cent of the company’s revenue comes from sales in Europe, another 35 per cent from the US and the balance from Asia Pacific region (the products are available in Australia, Hong Kong, South Korea and Taiwan).

In Hong Kong, the startup has been working with distributor Care n Love for two years. Bioserie products will soon be available at Mothercare stores, and are also available online.

“We would consider co-branding with bigger brands as we have the technology, but don’t have the resources to scale fast,” says Triau.