Taking on the plastic problem: CEO Tadas Lisauskas-led Greenbutts is the leading biodegradable filter development company, transforming the filter and tobacco industries

In 2011, the company partnered with Nonwovens Innovation and Research Institute to develop and patent its biodegradable filter material, a process that took over seven years of intense R&D.

Greenbutts was founded by Tadas Lisauskas in 2010. The company’s mission is to offer the tobacco industry a viable solution to solve the problem of the number one littered single-use plastic item in the world - the cellulose acetate cigarette filter or ‘butt’. Approximately six trillion cigarettes are smoked every year worldwide and it is estimated that 60% or more of those spent cigarette filters are disposed of improperly and become litter. The problem worsened with the implementation of indoor smoking bans, pushing smokers outdoors to enjoy their cigarettes and not having sufficient trash receptacles to dispose of their butts, so the vast majority end up being flicked into the street or sidewalk and subsequently find their way into storm drains and then into our waterways, rivers and oceans where they can remain for decades. Because current cigarette filters are comprised of cellulose acetate, a type of plastic, they do not biodegrade but rather break down over time into micro-plastics and nano-plastics which are often ingested by birds, fish and other wildlife. These plastics are then introduced into the food chain on a massive scale worldwide with dire consequences. Studies have shown birds and fish from every corner of the globe have plastic in their digestive and blood systems and this problem shows no sign of abatement. It is getting progressively worse by the year and it is thought that there will be more plastic in the oceans than fish by 2050.

The genesis of Greenbutts came about by a slightly different idea than its current state. In 2010, the issue of single-use plastic litter was not as topical as it has become today. The original concept was a bit more quirky and irreverent. Greenbutts sought to create a cigarette filter that had wildflower seeds embedded into the filter itself so that if it were littered on the ground, it would sprout a flower instead of being litter. This meant that the filter material would have to be made of an organic and biodegradable material so that the germination process could begin when introduced into the soil. About a year was spent in development, determining which wildflower seeds would be suitable for this concept and what was the best biodegradable filter material medium to allow this process to work properly. 

As Greenbutts caught the eye of the filter and tobacco industries, they were invited to pitch their idea of a biodegradable and plantable filter to some of the major tobacco companies, which thought the idea was interesting and novel, however, not suited for commercialization on a mass scale. The feedback was that the focus should be on the biodegradability, filtration and sensory of the filter, rather than the seeds. The ‘gold standard’ for filtration and sensory was cellulose acetate, so any new filter would have to compete head-to-head with that. Armed with this new information, Greenbutts embarked on its new and bold mission to design the best all-natural, biodegradable, water-dispersible, and most importantly, plastic-free filter to replace cellulose acetate as the standard bearer.

Tadas Lisauskas, founder and CEO, knew it was time to build a team that could bring this vision into reality. Mr. Lisauskas graduated from California State University, Long Beach with a degree in International Business and worked in the marketing and advertising sector since 1996 before following his passion for innovation and entrepreneurship with the founding of Greenbutts. This project would require more than just a marketing strategy to be successful, so he proceeded to raise investment capital from close friends and other private investors who shared an appreciation for the concept and business potential. The next few years were dedicated to partnering and collaborating with the most capable and highly regarded research and development teams as well as filter and tobacco industry professionals. Greenbutts partnered with NIRI (Nonwovens Innovation and Research Institute) in 2011 to develop and patent its biodegradable filter material, a process that took over seven years of intense R&D. Since that time, three more innovative patents were filed to protect Greenbutts’ intellectual property and improve the design and functionality. Other industry professionals joined the team as well. Dr. Mervyn Witherspoon, formerly of Filtrona, the largest independent cigarette filter manufacturing company came on as Head of Product Development, and more recently, Mr. Luis Sanches, a former senior executive of British American Tobacco with over 30 years at BAT, joined as Chief Strategy Officer, among others from the biotech and manufacturing industries to round out the core team. Greenbutts most recently partnered with Boegli Gravures S.A., the world’s leading embossing technology company which co-developed a completely novel and patented embossing process that allows Greenbutts to deliver specific smoke delivery and filtration for a given filter specification. Known as ‘Greenbossing’, this process is revolutionary in its design and functionality and is the key differentiator by which Greenbutts will become the new gold standard for filtration.

Today, Greenbutts is the leading biodegradable filter development company with its technology that far surpasses the competition. The decade-long head-start that Greenbutts had before the implementation of single-use plastic legislative efforts in the tobacco industry makes it the perfect partner for tobacco multinationals who are now faced with reducing or eliminating the plastic content in their products to comply with the new laws being handed down. As an example, the EU Parliament recently passed a bill which would impose a 50% reduction of plastic in tobacco products by 2025, and an 80% reduction by 2030. Other countries have either proposed or plan to propose similar laws in the near term, which creates a pain-point for global cigarette manufacturers who will need to find an alternative to cellulose acetate filters. Greenbutts is working closely with the tobacco industry, including the biggest players, to facilitate this inevitable transition away from plastic and to end the blight of plastic filter waste in our environment. Over the past 13 years, Tadas Lisauskas and his team have taken Greenbutts from an obscure novelty filter concept, to become one of the most innovative companies set to transform the filter and tobacco industries for the better.

Greenbutts is currently working closely with Filtrona as its main filter manufacturer working closely with the tobacco industry, including the biggest players, to facilitate this inevitable transition away from plastic and to end the blight of plastic filter waste in our environment.