Clic Recycle completes the third edition of StartBEC with AINIA

On 17 September 2026, Clic Recycle took part in the StartBEC 2026 DemoDay held at AINIA in Paterna (Valencia), which closed the programme's third edition. The event brought together the seven participating startups, companies, investors, public institutions and other players in the bioeconomy and agri-food innovation ecosystem to present the technological progress achieved during the programme.

For Clic Recycle, the DemoDay was an opportunity to present two areas of our work: CLIC TERRA, our regenerative material for sustainable agriculture, and CLIC ARCHI, our new line of fire-retardant biomaterials for construction.

CLIC TERRA: from keratin waste to regenerative agriculture

Keratin + industrial hemp → a regenerative material designed to replace plastic. CLIC TERRA explores the potential of combining discarded keratin with hemp to create a bio-based material for agricultural applications, offering an alternative to conventional plastic solutions. The need for alternatives is especially relevant in agriculture, where large amounts of plastic are used for applications such as soil mulching. At the same time, discarded hair remains an under-used resource. An estimated 2.2 billion kg of hair ends up in landfill, where organic decomposition generates methane, while incineration also produces greenhouse gas emissions. Plastic mulch is another environmental challenge. An estimated 20 million hectares of farmland use plastic mulch, and LDPE can leave hundreds of kilograms of microplastics per hectare. CLIC TERRA aims to tackle both waste streams with a different approach: turning waste into a renewable resource while reducing reliance on conventional plastics.

CLIC ARCHI: developing natural fire-retardant biomaterials

During the DemoDay, we also presented CLIC ARCHI, a new product line focused on using our biomaterial in construction applications. As part of our work with AINIA, we developed our nonwoven material with a 100% natural fire-retardant treatment, free from halogens and synthetic flame retardants. The results obtained during development showed that:

• All the formulations tested improved fire resistance compared with the untreated base material.
• A formulation combining montmorillonite and alginate achieved a comparable improvement using four times less additive, improving both material efficiency and potential cost-effectiveness.
• The formulations are based on naturally sourced components, opening new possibilities for bio-based applications in architecture and construction.

This development is a further step in exploring how discarded materials can be transformed into functional, higher-value biomaterials for new sectors.

The StartBEC journey

StartBEC, run by AINIA and co-funded by Spain's Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food (MAPA), supports startups developing innovative technologies and new value chains in the bioeconomy.

Throughout the programme, Clic Recycle had the opportunity to develop its solutions within a network of startups, researchers, companies and industry experts. The DemoDay rounded off this process with pitches, networking, discussions on biotechnology and industrial scale-up, and a showcase of bioeconomy innovations.

For Clic Recycle, this experience strengthens our commitment to turning waste into new resources and developing circular, bio-based solutions.

Thank you to AINIA and the StartBEC team for their support, expertise and collaboration throughout the programme. We look forward to taking these advances into the next phases.