From Cultivated Cellulose to Premium Corporate Kits

For this collaboration, the partner was Afore Azteca, one of Mexico’s largest and most influential retirement funds, managing billions in assets and shaping the financial future of millions across Latin America. Their decision to commission a fully traceable, ultra-local collection underscored a growing appetite for materials and products that embody both innovation and responsibility.

We developed and delivered more than 350 corporate kits crafted with Celium™- Premium Cultivated Cellulose. Each kit included a notebook cover, a toiletry bag, and a cardholder. All three pieces were conceived as a unified collection, produced at scale and delivered in record-breaking time.

For the first time, every stage of the process was either handled or curated by Polybion, from fruit waste to finished product. We cultivated bacterial cellulose from agroindustrial fruit waste, transformed it into Celium™, developed the color and configuration of the material, designed each product in collaboration with  Vibe Lab Studio, sourced the complementary components, created the tech packs, coordinated local manufacturing, and delivered the kits when ready.

What is often fragmented across several suppliers became, in this case, an integrated workflow handled within the same ecosystem. Biology, material science, design, and craft, aligned under one vision.

Designed in our Consumer Product Design Studio

The design brief asked for a refined and functional corporate gift that would reflect both modernity and responsibility. In response, our team created a three-piece set. 

The notebook cover was designed with clean proportions that highlight the identity of Celium™. The toiletry bag explored softness and volume while maintaining structural integrity and ease of use. The cardholder served as the most immediate expression of tactility and finishing, where stitching, edges, and handling reveal the quality of both the material and manufacturing process.

From Material Science to Premium Local Craft

While the design work took place inside Polybion, production unfolded with local partners who share our commitment to thoughtful manufacturing. Keeping the process close allowed rapid iteration between sampling and adjustment, direct quality control, and a significant reduction in unnecessary transportation.

Celium™ was paired with selected linings, zippers, and hardware chosen to support the design vision. Every component was evaluated to ensure coherence, performance, and visual harmony. The result is a set of objects that perform reliably in daily use while maintaining the expression of premium materials.

Why Full Cycle Matters

Completing the full cycle internally gave us something essential: complete traceability and control over each decision that shapes the material and the product itself, and with it, the rare ability to craft the entire sensorial journey, from the cultivated cellulose to the final piece in someone’s hands.  It allowed the material, the craft, and the final object to speak the same language, aligned in intention and execution.

It enabled a workflow where the transformation from waste to finished object could be carried out with intention, precision, and a lighter carbon footprint. Every component was sourced and obtained within a 250-kilometer radius, proving that ultra-locality can become a new standard for premium production, one capable of delivering highly efficient LCAs without compromising design or craftsmanship. At a moment when many ESG investments are being paused or delayed, this project moved in the opposite direction. It demonstrated that responsible production is achievable when design, science, and manufacturing remain aligned under a single vision.

Corporate Gifting as a Material Statement

Corporate gifts often serve a symbolic role. In this case, they became a material statement. For a leading institution in the financial sector in Latin America, choosing Celium™ meant placing next-generation materials in the hands of their most senior leaders. Each notebook cover, toiletry bag, and cardholder is both a functional object and a demonstration of what cultivated cellulose can achieve when handled with care and intention.

For organizations and brands interested in bringing next-generation materials into their ecosystem, this model offers a clear, traceable, and realistic way forward.

If you want to explore what Celium™ could become in your context, our team is ready to build that next step with you.