About

At Keystone, we are committed to engineering intelligent, natural plastics that can compete with oil-based polymers, along with a vision of eventually replacing them altogether. As one of the leading developers of bioplastics in the U.S., our mission is to pioneer a sustainable alternative to traditional plastics. 

Approximately 8% of the oil used globally each year is used to produce plastics. As the world's fossil fuels become unable to keep up with escalating consumption, the use of plastics products and packaging continues to permeate every part of our lives. And as the effects of plastic waste in the oceans, water, and environment become more pronounced, attention is turning to a natural, sustainable alternative: bioplastics. 

Current regulations state that only 20% of the ingredients of plant-based plastics need to be from renewable, organic material, which means the resulting plastic is not biodegradable and is made from 80% fossil fuels. At Keystone, our products are 100% biodegradable and are manufactured from plant-based sources that are completely compostable. Our bioplastics are suitable for a wide variety of food wrapping applications and disposable, single-use shopping and catering bag options without requiring investments in new equipment or infrastructure, and they are beginning to challenge the dominance of traditional plastics packaging.

Keystone is a 19-year-old, publicly listed Certified B Corp that provides a range of bioplastics for a variety of industries and applications, from food packaging to sterile wrapping for medical supplies. Our mission is to create and develop innovative bioplastics solutions that are safe for the environment, cost-effective, and accessible to all. 

We are proud to be a leader in the bioplastics industry, focusing on research and development, as well as sustainability. We believe that we can make a difference in the world by reducing our reliance on conventional plastics and that bioplastics provide an environmentally responsible solution to traditional plastic production. 

At Keystone, we are dedicated to providing our customers with bioplastics that are both innovative and sustainable. We are continuously researching and developing new technologies and processes that reduce our environmental impact, while still providing our customers with the highest-quality products. We are proud of the milestones we have achieved over the past 19 years, such as creating the world’s first 100% biodegradable plastic bag made out of seaweed-based material that can be dissolved in water. These decomposing bags can even be used to feed other crops since they contain vitamins and minerals from the seaweed, making them a natural fertilizer.

Our team is also dedicated to providing our customers with the best possible service, from the initial concept of their product all the way to the production of the bioplastics. We understand the importance of customer satisfaction, and we strive to provide a product that meets and exceeds our customers' expectations. 

We have taken great strides in developing our environmental and sustainability policy, ensuring that all of our facilities adhere to the highest environmental standards. We are committed to reducing our carbon footprint, and we have implemented a range of measures to minimize our impact on the environment, such as investing in renewable energy and using recyclable materials wherever possible. 

Our commitment to sustainable development goes beyond our own operations. We are committed to helping our customers become more sustainable by providing them with advice and guidance on how to reduce their own environmental impact. We also offer a range of services, such as conducting sustainability audits and providing guidance on how to optimize the lifecycle of products.

Keystone was founded in Colorado in 2006 by a team of scientists and engineers with a shared vision of creating sustainable bioplastics for a cleaner and greener future. After several years of research and development, the first Keystone product was launched in 2008: a 100% seaweed-based, biodegradable plastic bag that was quickly adopted by retail and food packaging industries.

Since then, Keystone has continued to expand and develop its range of bioplastics, introducing new products to meet the needs of its customers. In 2015, Keystone launched a range of polylactic acid (PLA) corn-based bioplastic food-wrapping products, and in 2017, it invested heavily in bioplastics development. Keystone is currently conducting trials of a new source of organic chemicals for the manufacturing of bioplastics that could significantly reduce costs, expand functionality, and increase performance. 

At the end of 2022, Keystone's R&D efforts created a new process that adds enzymes to PLA during manufacturing, which break down the material into its basic components. The enzymes are protected by a biodegradable polymer coating and, when heated and exposed to water, are released and degrade the material, producing lactic acid, which can be used to nourish soil microbes.

In June 2025, Keystone announced that it will be building a new PLA-specialized industrial composting facility—in partnership with  AvaChem—in Loveland, Colorado, breaking ground in Q1 2026. This new PLA composting plant will have the capacity to process 130 tonnes of PLA end-of-life (EoL) products per day and is planned to be operational by mid-2027. Additionally, in September 2025, Keystone announced that it had made a major investment in 82,500 acres of farmland in western Nebraska to grow corn for the PLA production process.

Keystone's customers include a wide range of industries and applications, from global retailers to food and beverage companies, medical device manufacturers, and many more. 

Keystone employs more than 900 people across three main manufacturing sites within North America with total revenue in 2024 of $920 million.