Millions of tons of non-water soluble plastic end up in landfills, rivers, and oceans each year, harming wildlife, contaminating food and water, and threatening human health. If current trends continue, by 2050 there could be more plastic than fish in the oceans, leaving future generations to face a planet overwhelmed by pollution.
Sustainable solutions that create water-soluble, recyclable, and 3D-printable materials are beginning to change this trajectory, since our planet’s surface is mostly water, as well as the composition of our bodies, enabling water soluble materials to be used and safely returned to the environment is key to our survival as species.
By reducing waste, supporting on-demand and localized manufacturing, and turning potential pollutants into reusable resources, these innovations show that convenience and sustainability can coexist. At the forefront of this movement are leaders pioneering circular plastics, demonstrating that thoughtful material design can protect ecosystems, empower communities, and redefine the future of manufacturing.
Among these innovators, Manuel Rendón, CEO of Timeplast, is transforming how we produce and use plastics by developing materials that behave like plastic but fully disintegrate in water at the molecular level. By tackling the pressing challenge of plastic waste while maintaining everyday convenience, he is turning bold ideas into tangible solutions.
Under his leadership, Timeplast has expanded rapidly, with Rendón overseeing product innovation—from proprietary 3D-printable filaments to devices enabling on-demand manufacturing—while fostering a culture of curiosity, transparency, and rapid experimentation. Manuel Rendón also guides fundraising, investor relations, strategic partnerships, and the company’s overall vision, ensuring growth that is both sustainable and scalable.
Achievements under his direction include raising over $10 million from nearly 9,000 investors, launching more than 40 proprietary filaments, and introducing breakthrough products like the 3D-printable soap filament, which combines practicality with revolutionary material science.
Strategic expansions into vertical licensing companies—covering dissolvable straws, bags, bottles, packaging films, and agricultural materials—have created multiple revenue streams while promoting sustainable manufacturing, alongside partnerships with corporations like Nestlé Waters North America that reinforce credibility.
Through these innovations and milestones, Manuel Rendón has positioned Timeplast as a leader in circular plastics and sustainable materials, proving that vision, transparency, and persistence can solve environmental challenges, drive growth, and set the stage for a future where manufacturing is local, circular, and eco-friendly.
Birth of Programmable Materials
Timeplast started with a bold question: what if plastic weren’t permanent? While plastics are highly useful, they were created with no way to break down naturally. Unlike most materials that water can dissolve, conventional plastics persist in the environment for centuries. This challenge inspired the development of a material that behaves like plastic but fully disintegrates in water at the molecular level. The company’s mission goes beyond creating an alternative—it aims to rethink the permanence of plastic and has grown into a broader vision of programmable materials and on-demand, circular manufacturing.
Molecular-Level Innovation
While most circular economy initiatives focus on recycling materials that ideally should not have existed, Timeplast takes a deeper approach by designing plastics that disintegrate in water at the molecular level. The company holds a patent giving it exclusive rights to dissolve water-soluble plastics in hot water—a concept simple and revolutionary, comparable to the Wright brothers’ patent on the art of flying.
When combined with Pabyss (Trademarked. Pabyss as in Plastic Abyss), their molecular disintegration device, this approach creates a true closed-loop system: materials can be printed as needed, used, and then safely dissolved, eliminating long-term waste.
Live Demonstrations That Turned Doubt into Belief
The biggest challenge for Timeplast wasn’t developing the chemistry—it was convincing people to believe in it. When the company claimed to have created a plastic-like material that disappears overnight, many assumed it was just hype. Skepticism was easy; proving the technology was harder. Timeplast addressed it with clear evidence: independent studies, granted patents, and live demonstrations. In one notable event, dozens of investors visited the lab, handled the materials, saw the Pabyss reactor in action, and witnessed firsthand how the waste disintegrated. This level of transparency sets the company apart.
Today, Timeplast has raised over $10 million through equity crowdfunding from nearly 9,000 investors, hitting the SEC’s Reg CF limit twice in oversubscribed campaigns, showing that trust in its technology is real, global, and growing.
A Revolutionary 3D-Printable Product
A breakthrough product that demonstrates Timeplast’s impact is the TimeMass Soap filament, the first 3D-printable, fully functional soap that actually foams. While it may seem like a novelty at first, the technology behind it is revolutionary, showing that heat-sensitive, water-based materials—such as proteins, nutrients, and even pharmaceuticals—can be printed without damage during extrusion.
This innovation also serves as the foundation for The Manifester, a next-generation device that combines the filament portfolio, 3D printing hardware, and AI voice interfaces, enabling users to create a wide range of products—shoes, soaps, tools, gifts, and even pharmaceuticals—on demand, turning spoken instructions into real, usable items. Similar to how Star Trek’s “Replicator” works.
Focus On Real Solutions Rather Than Marketing Trends
Manuel Rendón advises emerging leaders to focus on real solutions rather than marketing trends. The world doesn’t need another “compostable straw” gimmick. Instead, they should examine the actual problem at its core, even at the molecular level, and be prepared for skepticism. Truly transformative ideas are often met with doubt, but persistence can turn them into innovations that cannot be ignored.
9,000 Investors Back Timeplast’s Vision
Timeplast measures its impact in three key ways:
- Capital and community validation: Nearly 9,000 investors have contributed over $10 million through oversubscribed equity crowdfunding, showing strong global support.
- Product growth: Over 40 proprietary filaments are on the market, with a subscription model delivering a new filament and project each month to drive recurring revenue and creativity.
- Environmental potential: Every gram of Timeplast material prevents an equivalent gram of long-lasting plastic from polluting the environment.
Market Recognition and Trust
Timeplast’s credibility is validated through multiple channels. In addition to holding patents that confirm its global innovation, the company has gained significant recognition from the market itself. Oversubscribed crowdfunding campaigns, strategic partnerships with companies like Nestlé Waters North America, and features in sustainability-focused media all demonstrate that Timeplast’s solutions are trusted, effective, and deliver tangible real-world impact.
Success Story
One notable client success story is the TimeMass Soap, which has become a favorite among customers. Users reported that it lasts up to ten times longer than conventional soap, functions fully, and showcases that 3D printing can create practical, everyday products—not just prototypes. This success marked a turning point for the company, moving it from being seen as a lab curiosity to being recognized as a leader in consumer-focused innovation.
Vertical Companies for Rapid Industrial Scale
Timeplast is launching a bold new structure: a family of vertical companies—each dedicated to a specific product category and ready for licensing at an industrial scale.
These vertical companies cover a wide range of sustainable product categories, each designed for rapid industrial licensing and market adoption:
- TimeStraw – dissolvable straws, ready for mass licensing.
- TimeBag – retail bags, grocery bags, pet waste liners.
- TimeFilm – shrink wrap, stretch film, flexible packaging.
- TimeBottle – dissolvable bottles for beverages, cosmetics.
- TimeCup – disposable cups and lids.
- TimePlate – plates, bowls, trays.
- TimeCutlery – utensils, stirrers.
- TimeFoam – expanded foam for packaging & insulation.
- TimeAgri – agricultural mulch and greenhouse films.
Each company carries its own valuation and will license the technology for rapid scale. This structure creates multiple parallel revenue streams, all tied back to Timeplast’s intellectual property.
Sustainability as the Foundation, Not Just a Goal
Timeplast fosters innovation by hiring for curiosity and cultivating a lab culture centered on asking, “Why not?” Team members are encouraged to experiment, prototype quickly, iterate fearlessly, and maintain complete transparency. Sustainability is embedded into the company’s operations, serving not just as a marketing goal but as the foundation of how the team works and innovates.
Adapting to the Future of Materials
Timeplast is responding to emerging trends that are shaping the future of materials and manufacturing:
- Bans on non-polar plastics – legislation is inevitable.
- On-demand, localized manufacturing – why ship when you can print?
- Programmable matter – materials that adapt, dissolve, or manifest on command.
With these trends, Timeplast is positioned to lead in all three areas.
Stay Committed When Others Doubt
Manuel Rendón’s leadership is guided by humility and resilience. His experiences, including being bullied for being different, taught him empathy and grit, shaping his determination to achieve what many considered impossible. Manuel Rendón believes that true leadership is about staying committed to a vision, even when others cannot yet see it.
A Defining Moment
A transformative moment at Timeplast came when the company successfully closed its second oversubscribed Reg CF raise at the SEC’s $5 million limit—twice, across two different platforms. This achievement went beyond fundraising, demonstrating widespread trust, with nearly 9,000 people from around the world investing in and supporting the company. This milestone marked a turning point, showing that Timeplast’s vision had grown into a shared movement embraced by a global community.
Building Trust Through Radical Transparency
Timeplast maintains trust and compliance through radical transparency. Investors are invited to visit the lab, experience the materials firsthand, and observe the technology in action. By operating openly and without secrecy, the company shows that genuine, innovative technology can stand on its own, naturally building confidence and credibility.
Manuel Rendón’s 5 Impactful Business Lessons
- Solve Real Problems: Focus on core challenges, not trends.
- Innovate Fundamentally: Design solutions at the molecular or foundational level.
- Encourage Curiosity: Experiment, prototype, and iterate fearlessly.
- Build Trust: Be transparent with technology and results.
- Persist: Stay committed despite skepticism to turn bold ideas into reality.
