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China’s writing-instrument and consumer-goods industries are increasingly searching for materials that combine performance, processability, and a lower-carbon footprint. Against this backdrop, Shanghai SiPeng Technology Co., Ltd., operating under the brand SYNLIFE, has positioned itself as a bio-based materials technology company built on synthetic biology and materials engineering, developing solutions that are now finding their way into commercial writing instruments across the country.

 

A Bio-Based Materials Innovator Rooted in Synthetic Biology

Founded in May 2022 and headquartered in Shanghai, China, SYNLIFE was created to address a long-standing industry pain point: conventional fossil-based plastics depend on fossil resources, persist in the environment, and create end-of-life waste-management challenges, while many emerging bio-based and biodegradable material systems still struggle with trade-offs among performance, processability, cost, and large-scale commercialization.

SYNLIFE’s founding and technical teams accumulated research experience in synthetic biology, biological manufacturing, and bio-based materials prior to the company’s establishment, with key synthetic biology capabilities connected to research experience associated with Shanghai Jiao Tong University. This academic foundation continues to underpin the company’s current R&D Center in Shanghai, which spans more than 2,000 m² of dedicated research and development space and supports a team of 50+ employees, including researchers and engineers in synthetic biology, material development, product development, and commercialization. Manufacturing and supply-chain capabilities are located in Jiangsu, including Nantong, giving the company a functioning path from laboratory research to commercial-scale supply.

From Lab to Application: SYNLIFE’s Integrated Capability System

Rather than focusing narrowly on material synthesis, SYNLIFE develops materials around actual processing conditions and end-use requirements. Its capability system spans several interconnected areas:

• Synthetic biology: strain development, metabolic pathway optimization, fermentation process development, and biological manufacturing.
• Materials engineering: polymer formulation, modification, compounding, processing optimization, and application development.
• Application engineering: development aligned with real manufacturing processes, including injection molding, extrusion, film processing, thermoforming, and spinning.
• AI-assisted R&D: AI and data-driven methods that support formulation design, process optimization, material-property prediction, and experimental iteration.

This combination of biological manufacturing, formulation optimization, process scale-up, manufacturing, and application development is intended to help bridge the gap between laboratory innovation and industrial application.

YOGTIC® Bio-Based Resins Powering the Stationery Industry

At the core of SYNLIFE’s stationery-related offering is its YOGTIC® bio-based resin platform, which is designed with commercial manufacturing and processing compatibility in mind. Depending on product grade and application, these materials can be adapted to conventional injection molding, extrusion, film processing, thermoforming, and spinning equipment.

YOGTIC-05 Series

Positioned as a high-transparency bio-based polyester material, the YOGTIC-05 series offers high transparency, good toughness, and a high bio-based content depending on product grade. It is suitable for applications that require transparent plastic components and can serve as a bio-based alternative to conventional transparent plastics in selected applications where performance and processing requirements are met.

YOGTIC-15 Series

The YOGTIC-15 series is a natural-color bio-based polyester material designed to provide improved thermal resistance compared with conventional PLA grades, together with balanced toughness and rigidity. It is suitable for selected injection-molded and rigid applications, providing an option for replacing conventional fossil-based plastics after appropriate application validation.

YOGTIC-08 / 18 Thermoforming Series

Developed specifically for sheet extrusion and thermoforming, the YOGTIC-08/18 series delivers good sheet flatness and balanced rigidity and toughness, designed around commercial thermoforming processes for food trays, packaging trays, and other thermoformed products.

Real-World Validation: Case Studies in Writing Instruments

SYNLIFE’s bio-based writing-instrument applications have progressed from R&D into exhibition and commercial applications between 2024 and 2025, demonstrating how its material platform has been applied in real products.

Hero Bio-Based Fountain Pen

In this case, SYNLIFE’s bio-based resin was applied to plastic components of the fountain pen, with selected conventional plastic components replaced by SYNLIFE bio-based materials. The result was a commercialized bio-based fountain pen application, launched in June 2025, which also participated in regional cultural-product and souvenir selection activities. Related development under the “Wildflowers in the Fields” bio-based writing-instrument series was nominated as a recommended souvenir gift by Minhang District in June 2025 and was subsequently selected for the 2025 Shanghai Souvenir Award in September 2025.

Platinum GK-50 Eco Pen Application

SYNLIFE’s high-transparency YOGTIC® resin was used for selected transparent pen components in the Platinum GK-50 Eco Pen. This application demonstrates the feasibility of applying high-transparency bio-based materials to commercial writing instruments. The broader Platinum Eco series debuted at the China International Industry Fair in September 2024, marking an early public milestone for SYNLIFE’s stationery-oriented material development.

Strategic Partnerships and Ecosystem Development

SYNLIFE’s broader technology ecosystem has been supported by industry-academia-research collaborations and commercial alliances. In April 2025, SYNLIFE established cooperation with the Tianjin Institute of Industrial Biotechnology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, focusing on bulk bio-based monomer development using methanol as feedstock and one-carbon biomanufacturing.

On the financing side, SYNLIFE completed a Pre-A financing round of nearly RMB 100 million in October 2024, followed by a Pre-A+ financing round of tens of millions of RMB in May 2025, reflecting continued investor interest as the company expands international customer development and commercial projects.

Industry Recognition and Compliance

SYNLIFE’s technical and commercial progress has been acknowledged through several honors, including the CIIF Bio-Manufacturing Special Award in 2025 . The company holds status as a Shanghai “Specialized and Innovative” Enterprise, and in 2026 it was selected as one of 16 winners from approximately 660 global applications in Tencent’s CarbonX Program 2.0, following a global selection process involving applications from 54 countries and regions and 50 finalists.

Certain SYNLIFE products have obtained third-party compostability certification and undergone bio-based content testing, and food-contact products can be tested or evaluated against applicable Chinese, EU, and U.S. requirements depending on the product and target market. Certification bodies, standards, certificate numbers, and applicable product grades are specified according to each product’s actual documentation.

Conclusion

From its origins in synthetic biology research connected to Shanghai Jiao Tong University, through strategic partnerships with Angel Yeast and the Tianjin Institute of Industrial Biotechnology, to documented writing-instrument applications such as the Hero bio-based fountain pen and the Platinum GK-50 Eco Pen, SYNLIFE has built a pathway from bio-based material research to real-world stationery applications. Its YOGTIC® resin platform, backed by an integrated capability system spanning biological manufacturing, materials engineering, and application development, positions the company as a notable contributor to China’s evolving bio-based stationery material sector.

https://www.synlifeglobal.com/
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