Viridis Research is a Foresight 50 2023 Honouree
Empowering people and communities to protect water sources everywhere.
Microplastics are a global concern due to their detrimental impact on ecological balance, marine ecosystems, and human health. Up to 40 per cent of microplastics polluting our oceans originate from washing synthetic textiles, with a single laundry load producing up to 700,000. Growing awareness of this problem is driving shifts in consumer sentiment, government policies, and ESG commitments from industry.
At Viridis, we are building solutions to tackle this challenge head-on. Our technology utilizes the power of electro-oxidation to eliminate organic pollutants (like PFAs, dyes, microplastics, and pharmaceutical waste) from water. Electro-oxidation uses electric current to generate powerful oxidants that fragment and mineralize pollutants. The byproducts of this process are negligible amounts of H2O, N2 and CO2 gas.
By 2028, our solution can reduce 21 trillion microplastic particles in our oceans and divert four million plastic cartridges from landfills annually.
Our IP centres around the unique ability to maintain performance while significantly reducing the size of the electro-oxidation unit. This allows us to deploy our technology across many consumer and industrial applications.
Our first product is a microfiber removal unit that connects to the washing machine discharge hose, capturing and eliminating microplastics.
Why our venture should be considered one of Canada’s 50 most investable cleantech companies:
Our product is the only solution capable of capturing and degrading microfibers, producing no waste or byproduct. Our system requires no ongoing maintenance or cartridge replacement, a critical advantage for appliance manufacturers looking for solutions that minimize customer friction points and user error. Finally, the small footprint of our technology means that it can operate as a stand-alone plug-and-play appliance or an integrated component of new washing machine designs.
The application of electro-oxidation to consumer appliances and the microplastic filtration and removal segment are both novel, and our team’s expertise at the intersection of these two emerging segments is unique. We anticipate a high level of complexity associated with replicating our technology. And as we offer a superior alternative to mechanical filtration, we can play a dominant role in this market.
While our team's primary focus is securing a partnership with leading consumer appliance manufacturers, we have also started discussions with stakeholders across the broader value chain to understand our role in fighting microplastic pollution, including textile and apparel manufacturers, third-party testing labs, and industry associations such as AquaAction and the American Apparel and Footwear Association.
We have also engaged several municipalities and utility providers to understand the potential application of our technology in eliminating microplastics and other organic pollutants from municipal wastewater.