Breaking the plastic ceiling: An entrepreneurial alum wins a Governor General’s Award

woman presenting — Nuha Siddiqui (BCom ‘18), Co-founder and CEO of erthos^(R), presenting at the 2024 Collision Conference. Photo: Johnny Guatto.

Life in plastic, becoming drastic?

“Life in plastic, it’s fantastic”–or so that one iconic song¹ goes. But reality sings a different tune.

Over the past 50 years, plastic production has skyrocketed, causing major environmental issues that will only worsen in the face of complacency. The good news? This human-made environmental issue may have a human-made solution from a company which aims to build a future free from plastic pollution.

erthos^(R) is a climate technology company which harnesses the power of AI, biomaterials, and advocacy to reimagine the building blocks of plastics. erthos^(R)’ biomaterials are tailor made from biobased sources, and unlike single-use plastic, have a significantly better environmental footprint.

In May 2024, the company was honoured with one of the most prestigious Canadian awards, the Governor General’s Innovation Award. The Governor General’s Awards are a collection of annual awards recognizing distinction in a variety of academic, artistic, and social fields. Only six Governor General’s Innovation Awards are presented each year, signifying a strong vote of confidence in erthos^(R) on the part of the nominator, the Business Development Bank of Canada, and the assessment and selection committees.

Bioresins are drop in alternatives to traditional plastic resins and existing biopolymers. Designed by erthos^(R) Studio, the company’s AI-powered design studio.

Why biomaterials?

Biomaterials are associated with a reduced carbon footprint, and its non-toxic nature decreases the long-lasting impact of plastic pollution in our ecosystems. As global warming continues to threaten our planet, erthos^(R) is a beacon of hope, actively working to combat its effects. The company has invented sustainable plant-based alternatives which can take the place of traditional plastic in manufactured products. Recently, they announced the launch of their proprietary AI platform, ZYA™, which accelerates the development of novel sustainable materials for CPGs and chemical companies globally.

So how did erthos^(R) become the award-winning company it is today? Let’s delve into the origins of erthos^(R) and the journey of Co-founder and CEO Nuha Siddiqui (BCom ‘18).

“The name erthos^(R) symbolizes Earth and ethos—our belief in materials that put our Earth first.”

Nuha Siddiqui (BCom ‘18)

From Enactus to EcoPacker

In 2016-2018, Nuha launched a research project as president of U of T’s social entrepreneurship club, Enactus. The research project evolved into a company called EcoPackers, an eco-friendly Styrofoam packing made from potato starch. The technology further expanded into additional forms of plastics including cutlery, packaging casing, and clothing hangers.

While recruiting co-founders, Siddiqui connected with plant biologist Kritika Tyagi, also a U of T student at the time. The co-founders joined the Creative Destruction Lab (CDL) program in 2018 to support their venture. Founded at the Rotman School of Management in 2012, the CDL is a nonprofit organization that delivers an objectives-based program for massively scalable, seed-stage, science- and technology-based companies. There, Nuha and Kritika received mentorship and advice from seasoned startup experts.

Bioplastics are alternatives to plastic as they are made from plants and other biological material such as corn husks. However, not all bioplastics are degradable–meaning they don’t completely break down in composts. This is what made EcoPackers unique; using farm byproducts, they were able to achieve 100% compostable bioplastics. EcoPacker raised $4.3 million in pre-seed and seed capital.

erthos^(R) Co-founders Kritika Tyagi (left) and Nuha Siddiqui (right)

The genesis of erthos^(R)

Early on in her journey, Nuha spent time on the ground in Asia with plastic manufacturers to gain insights and feedback on their technology.

This experience prompted a shift in the team’s vision for the company. From developing alternatives to Styrofoam to pioneering biomaterials as substitutes for plastic, EcoPackers pivoted itself as erthos^(R). The new name reflects the company’s long-term vision to build sustainable materials for the plastic industry. “The name erthos^(R) symbolizes Earth and ethos—our belief in materials that put our Earth first” says Nuha.²

According to a Forbes 30 Under 30 article³, erthos^(R)’ total financing went up to $11.2 million in 2023, allowing the organization to support more consumer packaged goods companies and plastic manufacturers across North America and Asia.

“I love coming back to the Rotman network to speak to young students and share some of the learnings that I’ve had along my journey. I started my business as a second-year student, and I learned an incredible amount about resilience, purpose and the importance of taking bold action despite the barriers that you will face as a young founder.”

Nuha Siddiqui (BCom ‘18)

Catching up and giving back

The Rotman community has continued to be a valued resource for Nuha. In 2021, she received the “Rotman Leader to Watch” award from the Rotman School of Management.

“Whenever I can, I try to come back—just to see the progress that U of T’s making in the entrepreneurship space. It’s inspiring to see how much it’s grown…I’m always trying to stay in the loop with new programs and new initiatives that U of T is launching. I work with U of T Entrepreneurship and Rotman to see how I can add value, but also to see how we can better position our company for the next generation of leaders.

Starting a business while still at U of T taught me that it was the best time to take a chance. I try to give young students that perspective. It’s important for me to showcase that working in or building a startup like erthos^(R) is a viable opportunity for a career. If you’re not ready to start a business now, then there’s always opportunities to join other incredible Canadian startups. And we’re always recruiting! A lot of our employees have had some relationship with U of T.⁴”

Looking ahead

The company’s star continues to rise, as evidenced by Nuha’s presentation at Toronto’s Collision Conference in June 2024. Although the potential for biomaterials is impressive, there’s still much to be done. On its website, erthos^(R) states that biomaterials, as alternatives to traditional plastics, represent less than 0.5% of the over 400 million tons of plastic produced annually.⁵

However, erthos^(R) has once again surpassed conventional boundaries with the introduction of their AI platform, ZYA^TM. As Nuha stated on a recent LinkedIn post, “The problem isn’t that biomaterials don’t exist…The real issue is scale and access to thoughtfully engineered biomaterials that address the many nuances and complexities of different end-applications. There is no one-size-fits-all solution.⁶”
ZYA^TM will enable faster production times and unlock unique formulations of biomaterials catered to specific industries. This will enable biomaterials to be an even more effective alternative to plastic, paving the way toward an eco-friendly future.

Nuha’s advice for students

In an interview with the University in 2021, Nuha reflected on what advice she would give her younger self: “It’s OK not to have it all figured out. The career that you think you need to have isn’t always going to be the career that you want to have, and you have the power to step away from what the traditional path may look like. It’s OK to fail and make mistakes, it’s really part of the journey, and it’s all part of something bigger. Make sure that you leverage the experience and take advantage of everything you have as a student at U of T.⁷”

Breaking the plastic ceiling: An entrepreneurial alum wins a Governor General’s Award

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