Co-Founder & Chief Innovation Officer, Okeanos®
Rethinking plastic at the source.
Dr. Russell Petrie co-founded Okeanos®, an international materials science company developing mineral-based packaging solutions designed to reduce plastic use and CO₂ while working within existing manufacturing systems.
THE IDEA BEGAN IN THE OCEAN
Dr. Petrie has spent his life in the water. An avid scuba diver and ocean enthusiast, he was underwater long before Okeanos® existed, watching plastic accumulate in ecosystems that had taken millennia to form. The problem was not abstract. It was visible, immediate, and personal.
His commitment to his daughters and the next generation deepened that conviction and drove him to act. If the materials we use every day are damaging the oceans, the question is not whether to act. It is how.
His background in biology and medicine helped shape the answer. He recognized calcium carbonate as a material nature already uses to create strong, efficient structures, including eggshells, and began to consider whether it could play a larger role in packaging while reducing dependence on petroleum-based plastic.
He shared those ideas with Florencio Cuétara, who would become his co-founder. The two men discovered early on that they shared the same childhood hero: Jacques Cousteau, the oceanographer and filmmaker who taught a generation to see the ocean as something worth protecting.
From that shared foundation, they assembled a multidisciplinary team spanning medicine, packaging, engineering, chemistry, design, and conservation. That collaboration became Okeanos® and its flagship technology, Made From Stone™.
Photos of Humpback whales taken by Dr. Petrie off the coast of Mo’oorea, French Polynesia
Video of whale shark taken by Dr. Petrie diving off the island of Komodo, Indonesia
Video of sea turtle taken by Dr. Petrie diving off the island of Komodo, Indonesia
WHAT IS OKEANOS®?
Okeanos® develops Made From Stone™, a patented material technology that replaces a large portion of conventional plastic with natural calcium carbonate. Designed to work with existing manufacturing equipment, the technology offers a practical and scalable approach to reducing plastic and CO₂ at the point of production.
See how Made From Stone™ rethinks the material behind everyday packaging.
INNOVATION INSPIRED BY NATURE
SOURCE REDUCTION
Reduce plastic during production, before it becomes waste.
BIOMIMICRY
Draw inspiration from natural structures such as shells, coral, and eggshells, which use calcium carbonate to create strength and resilience.
SCALABILITY
Work with existing extrusion, molding, and thermoforming systems to support real-world adoption without rebuilding manufacturing operations.
As Co-Founder and Chief Innovation Officer, Dr. Petrie helps guide the scientific and strategic thinking behind Okeanos®. His work reflects a consistent approach across medicine and environmental innovation: understand the system, identify the source of the problem, and develop a solution that can perform in the real world.
FROM MEDICINE TO MATERIALS SCIENCE
Dr. Petrie discusses Okeanos® and material innovation at COP28 in Dubai.
BUILT FOR REAL-WORLD ADOPTION
Made From Stone™ is designed for use across familiar packaging formats and manufacturing processes. Okeanos® works with brands, converters, and governments to bring mineral-based material solutions into everyday products across markets worldwide.
RECOGNITION & LEADERSHIP
2020
Innovation by Design
Made From Stone™ received an Honorable Mention in Fast Company’s 2020 Innovation by Design Awards in the Packaging category.
2026
Expansion into Japan
Okeanos® established Okeanos® Japan LLC in Tokyo in 2026, expanding its presence in the Asia-Pacific market.
Current
Fast Company Impact Council
Dr. Petrie contributes to Fast Company’s Impact Council, sharing perspectives on innovation, sustainability, and responsible business.
Explore Okeanos®
Learn more about Made From Stone™ technology, current applications, and Okeanos’s work around the world.