STARSTECH: Harnessing Innovation to Tackle Marine Ecosystem Woes

- STARSTECH is a climate tech company in South Korea that transforms problematic starfish, which threaten marine ecosystems, into eco-friendly products such as road deicers, cosmetics, and fertilizers, achieving zero waste through innovative upcycling technology.
- Their proprietary technology leverages the unique chemical properties of starfish, resulting in products with superior environmental and performance benefits, and has earned international patents, certifications, and significant export success.
- By collaborating with government agencies and participating in the SBA Super-Gap Open Innovation Program, STARSTECH is expanding globally and contributing to carbon reduction and sustainable development.


The ocean ecosystem is in crisis, paralleling the challenges posed by climate change. Data from the Korea Institute of Ocean Science and Technology (KIOST) reveals that the ocean has absorbed approximately 30% of the carbon dioxide emitted by humanity since the Industrial Revolution. This absorption is leading to rising sea temperatures and ocean acidification, which are catastrophic to marine life. The ecological shift is causing an imbalance: certain species face extinction while others experience explosive population growth.

In South Korea, one of the most visible signs of this imbalance is the pervasive scourge of the starfish. Once romantically dubbed the "star of the sea," the starfish is now the primary culprit in the devastation of the marine ecosystem. These opportunistic predators ravage seafood indiscriminately, inflicting massive damage on aquaculture farms. More critically, they relentlessly destroy coral reefs, often called the "oxygen tanks of the sea." The destruction of coral reefs collapses marine biodiversity, eventually destabilizing the entire ecosystem.
The South Korean government annually collects and disposes of a massive volume of starfish, estimated at 3,000 to 4,000 tons. The problem is the disposal itself: the carbon emissions generated during the incineration process create a new source of environmental pollution. Breaking this dilemma requires an innovative approach.

Creating New Value from Starfish

A climate tech company, STARSTECH (CEO Seung-chan Yang), has emerged to transform this problematic waste into an innovative resource. STARSTECH approached the starfish as a core resource, analyzing its chemical properties and utilizing them to develop advanced materials. The company now produces eco-friendly road deicers, cosmetic ingredients, and liquid fertilizers, strategically expanding its business domains.

STARSTECH business model is deeply intertwined with the utilization of starfish / source=STARSTECH

STARSTECH is a climate tech startup that creates sustainable products from the starfish, the main aggressor in marine ecological disruption. Though it began as a specialist in deicers, it has swiftly expanded into cosmetics and fertilizers.

The company's competitive edge lies in its proprietary technology. It effectively harnesses the unique chemical characteristics of the starfish, optimally extracting components for commercial application. For its eco-friendly deicer, STARSTECH utilizes the starfish's skeletal plates (ossicles). These ossicles are porous structures made of calcium carbonate, which possess a natural ability to adsorb chloride ions. Applying this principle, STARSTECH developed a deicer that significantly mitigates the corrosive problems associated with conventional products. Furthermore, collagen extracted from the starfish is used as a raw material for cosmetics, and the residual byproduct from the extraction process is formulated into liquid fertilizer. This completes a comprehensive upcycling system that utilizes 100% of the material, leaving no waste behind.

The company's technological prowess is validated by numerous certifications and patents, including the Korean Public Procurement Service's Innovation Product designation, Excellent Procurement Product, NET (New Excellent Technology) certification, and Performance Certification. Its product, ECO-ST2, is an officially certified Innovation Product by the Public Procurement Service and has been granted carbon credits. STARSTECH has also secured international product patents and certifications in markets including Canada, the US, Japan, and Mongolia, achieving an annual export performance of over $1 million (approximately KRW 1.463 billion), confirming its global competitiveness.

PENELLAGEN: The eco-friendly collagen cosmetic ingredient harnesses starfish to redefine sustainable beauty / source=STARSTECH

A notable achievement is the securing of carbon credits: 26,081 tCO2-eq in 2023 and 30,087 tCO2-eq in 2024. STARSTECH now holds cumulative carbon credits exceeding 56,000 tons, implementing a model where product usage contributes to carbon reduction. By replacing the incineration of starfish, the company reduces carbon emissions and minimizes environmental impact during product application.

STARSTECH's business model begins with securing starfish supplies through cooperation with the government and the National Federation of Fisheries Cooperatives (Suhyup). For the government, this translates into savings of billions of won in annual incineration costs; for STARSTECH, it ensures a stable supply chain of raw materials. The procured starfish undergoes a complete decomposition and extraction process. The ossicles become the deicer component, the attached collagen is used for cosmetics, and the remaining liquid effluent is utilized for fertilizer, creating a zero-waste, circular structure.

Eco-Friendly Deicer Leveraging Starfish's Porous Structure

The deicer segment is STARSTECH's starting point and represents a substantial portion of its revenue. Deicers, while effective for winter road safety, carry severe side effects. Conventional deicers based on calcium chloride and sodium chloride rapidly corrode vehicle underbodies and road infrastructure due to high chloride ion concentrations. Concrete damage shortens road lifespan and leads to plant chlorosis and water pollution.

To address concrete corrosion, eco-friendly deicers incorporate corrosion inhibitors. However, additives like nitrites and organic compounds, mixed for anti-corrosion purposes, can negatively affect aquatic ecosystems. Their high cost also limits mass adoption.

ECO-ST deicer of STARSTECH / source=STARSTECH

STARSTECH's ECO-ST deicer overcomes these drawbacks with its eco-friendly composition. The company focused on the calcium carbonate porous structure extracted from starfish ossicles. The structure, riddled with countless small pores, adsorbs chloride ions. This mechanism suppresses the state of high chloride ion concentration, thereby reducing environmental damage. Furthermore, it interacts synergistically with corrosion inhibitors to enhance anti-corrosion performance. STARSTECH reports that the deicer achieves a 29-fold higher anti-corrosion effect compared to existing eco-friendly deicers, using only one-third the amount of corrosion inhibitor.

The Ministry of Climate, Energy and Environment’s certified standard for deicer corrosivity is 30% or less. In contrast, ECO-ST boasts a corrosivity rate of just 0.8%, lower than that of water. Concurrently, the company is the first in the industry to develop and introduce concrete strengthening technology, which reduces road pavement damage by over 90% and mitigates soil contamination and crop damage by up to 70%. It also minimizes the impact on plant growth by reducing biomass loss by up to 70%. Its ice-melting (thawing) performance is 166% higher than that of sodium chloride, allowing for effective deicing with smaller quantities.

STARSTECH has established three product lines to suit varying deicing needs. ECO-ST1 utilizes the starfish's porous structure as an additive (ST Additive) to boost deicer efficiency. Adding approximately 2 wt% (1g per 100g) of ST Additive to existing deicers maintains thawing performance while lowering the corrosion rate to 0.8%. ST Additive also functions as a concrete strengthening additive, enhancing the durability of concrete roads. When added at about 0.3 wt% to existing deicers, it reduces the concrete's freeze-thaw resistance deterioration to less than 10% compared to salt, while increasing compressive strength by up to 288%. SL Additive is a complete product containing both ST Additive and other specialized compounds.

STARSTECH Highlights ECO-ST and SL Deicers as Key to Winter Road Safety / source=STARSTECH

STARSTECH emphasizes that the ECO-ST and SL deicers offer a solution to winter road safety issues and provide significant economic benefits. Foremost among these is the reduction in road maintenance costs. According to Statistics Korea, total road repair expenditures in 2024 reached KRW 4.5614 trillion. Savings in this budget can be reallocated to other public projects. STARSTECH estimates the social value of their deicer, factoring in reduced vehicle corrosion damage from chloride salts, at approximately KRW 100,000 per bag (25kg).

The ECO-ST and SL deicers are successfully exported to markets in Canada, the US, Mongolia, and Japan, with major clients including road and building management companies in Canada and Ulaanbaatar City Hall. North America, with its harsh winter climates and strict environmental regulations, has a high demand for high-performance eco-friendly deicers. STARSTECH plans to expand its market presence by establishing local distribution partnerships in Canada and securing international certifications, such as Clear Roads.

Liquid Fertilizer Utilizing Nutrients in Starfish Effluent

STARSTECH also capitalized on the liquid effluent generated during the starfish extraction process. This waste liquid is rich in marine-derived saponins and amino acids contained within the starfish. By refining and processing this effluent, STARSTECH developed ‘FERTISTAR(Bulssuk-i)’, a liquid fertilizer.

FERTISTAR contains marine peptides and amino acids. It also includes marine saponins that help enhance plant immunity and suppress pathogens. Based on its diverse nutrient profile, it promotes crop growth and increases resistance to pests and diseases. STARSTECH anticipates that FERTISTAR will serve as a solution for reducing reliance on chemical fertilizers and supporting sustainable agriculture.

The product line is segmented based on the crop cultivation environment. FERTISTAR offers a formula optimized for fruit and vegetable crops. FERTISTAR Amino strengthens amino acid content to focus on supporting the early growth stages of crops. FERTISTAR Root features a high-concentration phosphate formula specialized for root development, aiding initial root establishment. All are easily soluble liquids and can be applied through fertigation (supplying nutrients to the roots) or foliar spraying (supplying nutrients through the leaves).
FERTISTAR targets the domestic B2G and B2B markets. STARSTECH notes a high preference for the product among individual farms practicing eco-friendly agriculture.

Conquering the Beauty Market with Starfish Collagen

With the deicer and fertilizer businesses providing a stable revenue base, STARSTECH's future growth engine is the beauty market. It has achieved differentiation with PENELLAGEN, a raw material combining starfish-extracted collagen with Transdermal Drug System (TDS) technology. PENELLAGEN is a next-generation ingredient that overcomes the limitations of traditional collagen. It encapsulates starfish-extracted collagen within an elastic capsule, allowing for deep penetration into the skin.

PENELLAGEN: A Cosmetic Ingredient Fusing Starfish-Derived Collagen with Transdermal Delivery Technology / source=STARSTECH

Collagen is the main component of the skin's dermis layer, responsible for elasticity and moisture. As people age, collagen synthesis declines, leading to wrinkles and loss of firmness. For years, the cosmetics industry has developed anti-aging products using collagen. However, due to its structural properties—regardless of molecular size—collagen applied to the skin's surface struggles to reach the dermis, mostly remaining on the epidermis before being washed away. Furthermore, most conventional collagen is sourced from pigs or cows, posing restrictions in the Halal market for religious reasons.

STARSTECH solved these issues through two innovations. The first is the starfish itself. Marine-derived collagen extracted from starfish offers an alternative for consumers who cannot use cosmetics containing porcine or bovine collagen due to religious concerns. The second is the Elastic Ethosome-based Transdermal Drug System (TDS). Elastic Ethosomes are an evolution of liposomes, which are nano-particle carriers with improved membrane flexibility and stability. By encapsulating collagen peptides within these carriers, they can penetrate the skin's stratum corneum to reach the dermis. While the skin permeability of standard pigskin collagen is nearly zero, and traditional collagen has limited permeability even when combined with TDS, PENELLAGEN boasts a skin permeability rate 523 times higher than other collagen TDS-introduced ingredients.

STARSTECH verified PENELLAGEN's efficacy through clinical trials at the OTAC Skin Clinical Trial Center and the KC Skin Clinical Trial Center. The results demonstrated skin improvement effects, including a 17.6% increase in skin moisture, 5.4% improvement in skin elasticity, a 7.25% reduction in crow's feet wrinkles, and an 8.9% increase in skin density.

PENELLAGEN's Efficacy Validated Through Rigorous Dermatological Clinical Trials / source=STARSTECH

Meanwhile, LABOPE, the cosmetics brand made with the starfish collagen ingredient PENELLAGEN, is currently undergoing a rebranding. The plan is to consistently launch new products and further strengthen product quality and customer marketing in the first half of 2026, solidifying LABOPE's position in the global market.

STARSTECH's endeavors continue unabated. It plans to accelerate growth through the overseas expansion of its eco-friendly deicers, the LABOPE rebranding, and increased PENELLAGEN supply. This is part of the company's journey to evolve into a global climate tech leader, powered by the starfish.

To achieve its goals, STARSTECH is participating in the Seoul Business Agency (SBA)'s Super-Gap Open Innovation Promotion Support Program. This program is designed to enhance the external promotional and marketing capabilities of selected "Super-Gap" companies. Through the SBA, STARSTECH has received support for R&D, export channel connections, and promotion. The company intends to leverage the SBA program to market the potential of the starfish globally.

As climate change and environmental crises intensify, the role of climate tech companies like STARSTECH will only grow. The capacity to turn a problem into an opportunity, the wisdom to forge a symbiotic relationship between economy and environment rather than a conflicting one, and a management philosophy that simultaneously pursues technological excellence and social value—the competencies demonstrated by STARSTECH are expected to pave the way toward a sustainable future.

By Hyung-seok Kang (redbk@itdonga.com)