Miranda Wang

She cracked the code to make dirty plastic worth $50/kg.

Every year, we produce over 430 million tonnes of plastic. And less than 10% gets recycled.

Miranda Wang saw the problem during a high school field trip to a waste transfer station.

While others saw trash, she saw untapped potential.

Alongside her classmate Jeanny Yao, Miranda started experimenting with bacteria that could break down plastic chemicals.

By 30, she had built Novoloop.

A startup with a bold mission: turn unrecyclable plastic into high-performance materials worth up to 50x more.

How?

Novoloop invented a chemical process called ATOD (Accelerated Thermal Oxidative Decomposition).

It breaks down low-value polyethylene (the plastic in grocery bags, shampoo bottles, and packaging) and transforms it into a thermoplastic used in shoes, electronics, and sporting gear.

Unlike traditional recycling, this process cuts CO₂ emissions and saves plastic from landfills.

Novoloop launched pilot programs with cities like San José and partnered with GreenWaste Recovery to source trash.

Its first pilot plant is already operating in India with Aether Industries.

In 2022, the company raised $11M in Series A funding to expand its tech and build a commercial processing facility.

Miranda is rewriting the plastic paradigm, from linear waste to circular value.

Her work has earned her the UN’s Young Champion of the Earth award and a spot on Forbes’ 30 Under 30 list.

But her mission goes beyond tech.

“As an entrepreneur, I see a greater purpose in harmonizing profits with impact and showing that even one of the dirtiest industries can change and evolve into one that benefits people and the planet.”