We are pioneers in recycling cigarette butts.
Our Story
It all started with a question: Can cigarette butts be recycled?
Valery and Germán, chemists committed to science and the environment, created a revolutionary process to make cigarette butts a recyclable waste and recover the plastic from their filter.
With Jennifer, from the business world and passionate about sustainability, the founding team began their mission: to clean the world of cigarette butts.
Felipe later joined the team, providing his vision and industrial experience to continue growing, thus completing a team of excellence, with the desire to change the world one butt at a time.
Today, IMEKO is a unique company in the world, proud of its innovative approach and vision of circular economy.
IMEKO is committed to constantly seeking creative solutions to environmental problems and will work decisively to make a significant difference in the fight against cigarette butt pollution.
What we do
We set out to become solvers of the environmental problems caused by cigarette butts using our scientific knowledge. We developed a process based on chemistry, and turned that idea into a real solution, managing to recover the plastic from the cigarette butt filter, completely free of toxic components, and transforming it into a new sustainable raw material for its reincorporation into the plastic materials economy.
Achievements
Since our beginnings in 2018 we were supported by the Pontifical Catholic University of Valparaíso, through its Innovation and Entrepreneurship Directorate.
Later, we were selected to be part of the select group of Start-Up Chile entrepreneurs in its The S Factory program for women entrepreneurs and then Huella for Triple Impact ventures, between 2018 and 2020. At the same time, we were chosen as finalists for the National Award of Innovation, Avonni 2020, in the Environment category. That same year we started an important business acceleration program with The Next Web group from Amsterdam.
In 2021 we again received state support through CORFO in its Crea y Valida Mujeres program. In 2022 we managed to reach the great figure of more than 1,000 IMEKO containers installed throughout Chile, and we began to realize our dreams of industrial growth.
This 2023, we are very proud to receive our Certification as a B Company and were winners of the Circular Awards in the Valorization-SME category.
We also successfully closed our first investment round.
Our Partners
