Flint announces production of biodegradable "paper battery"

Singapore tech company Flint has announced production on a rechargeable "paper battery", which it claims will biodegrade at the end of its life cycle, at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas.

The technology has officially entered production in the company's facility in Singapore, marking the transition from lab-scale development to manufactured cells that Flint said are ready for early commercial integrations.

"Entering production is a turning point because it means our paper batteries can move beyond prototypes and into real devices, at real volumes, with quality controls that customers can validate," said Flint founder and CEO Carlo Charles.

"Reinventing batteries isn't only about chemistry, it's about building something you can manufacture."

The battery, which could offer an alternative to traditional batteries, uses no lithium, cobalt, or nickel. Instead, it is made of non-toxic, renewable materials that are packed in a vacuum-sealed pouch.

When the battery is no longer needed, Flint said users can recycle parts of the batteries or bury them in soil, where they will decompose within six weeks, leaving no harmful residues.

The pouch design means the battery is thin and bendable, which the company says can ultimately redefine the shape of the products it powers – think smartphones that fold seamlessly, or lighter, roomier EVs that no longer need to accommodate a rigid battery pack.

Most standard batteries are composed of three parts: an anode (usually made of graphite), a cathode (typically lithium), and an electrolyte layer between them – often a flammable chemical liquid that is mixed with salts, which is why these batteries can leak, burn, or explode.

In Flint's paper battery, the anode is made from zinc, the cathode is made of manganese, while the electrolyte is a water-based solution such as Hydrogel, which is non-flammable and non-explosive. The "paper" name comes from the cellulose separator in the battery.

Crucially, the new battery requires no lithium, the mining of which has been shown to be damaging to water, land, and local communities, such as in Chile's arid Atacama region, where much of today's lithium is extracted.

The resulting battery is almost twice as cheap per kWh as lithium batteries, said Flint.

In a lab test where the team used the battery to power a fan, and the company demonstrated that the battery can still operate when bent, punctured, and torched with a lighter, with no leaks or explosions.

Flint first previewed its technology in late 2023, at a TechCrunch event in San Francisco. One year later, the company announced a $2 million round of seed funding, which allowed the company to scale up its pilot production.

So far, Flint has listed Logitech and Amazon as pilot customers for the new battery, which could soon find its way into hand-held devices such as the Kindle or Fire TV. Eventually, Flint says the battery can also be used to power homes, EVs, medical technologies, and even satellites or spacecraft.

Other announcements from the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) 2026 include Lego's Smart Brick system and LG's humanoid robot designed for housework.

The Consumer Electronics Show 2026 takes place in Las Vegas, USA from 6 to 9 January 2026. See Dezeen Events Guide for an up-to-date list of architecture and design events taking place around the world.

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