A Cambridge company is developing a new material from plant protein to replace the world’s most polluting plastics.
University spinout Xampla has now won a major injection of $14m in private capital to accelerate the process.
Over the next five years, funding from Emerald Technology Ventures and other major investors will see Xampla’s unique Morro™ materials replace more than ten billion units of the most polluting single-use plastic, including plastic linings found in takeaway boxes, coffee cups and sachets.
Global plastic production is estimated to rise to a billion tonnes annually, and with less than 10% of plastic ever produced being recycled, there are now 8 billion tonnes of plastics and microplastics in our global environment.
Xampla’s Morro materials offer a world-first natural polymer alternative. Made from regenerative plant proteins, they are completely plastic-free, biodegradable and home compostable.
Through partnerships with big names such as 2M Group of Companies, Huhtamaki and Transcend Packaging, Xampla has already replaced polluting coatings on boxes used by food delivery giant Just Eat Takeaway and Bunzl Catering Supplies.
Unlike plastic, Morro™ Coating maintains the recyclability of cardboard without compromising on grease, oxygen and moisture barrier properties.
The company’s Morro™ films, being commercialised through global partnerships, are soluble, giving them the potential to replace polluting plastic PVA films in dishwasher tablets and laundry pods. They are also food-safe and can be used as edible replacements for packaging a wide range of single-serve products, from sweets to soups.
In addition, Xampla is working in partnership with leading FMCG brands and fragrance houses to deploy Morro™ materials in place of harmful plastic microencapsulates used to convey scents and active ingredients in homecare and beauty products.
Made from abundant and natural plant protein feedstocks, including peas, rapeseed and sunflower, the materials are completely PFAS and plastic-free, and exempt from the European Union’s Single-Use Plastic Directive (SUPD).
Xampla’s Chief Executive, Alexandra French, said: “This is a major vote of confidence for our revolutionary replacements for polluting plastics, and will see us expanding into Asia Pacific as well as growing in the UK and Europe.
“We have proven to investors and to brands that Morro™ materials are the real deal in making plastic a material of the past. In just the next five years, Xampla will replace ten billion pieces of single-use plastic. This is the technology industry has been crying out for.
“Our ambition now is nothing less than to see our products – proudly bearing their Morro marque – become the world’s go-to plastic replacement.”
Neil Cameron, lead in Emerald’s sustainable packaging investment fund, added: “This technology hits the sweet spot I search for: a big solution to a big problem that can reap big rewards. And with its current global traction, there is huge potential to scale even further.
“The global barrier coatings market alone is set to be worth over $30bn by 2032, and that is just the beginning.”
Ines Kolmsee, at Matterwave Ventures, added: “What really wowed us is their global team. These are real experts, drawing on the best science from the University of Cambridge and elsewhere. But this isn’t an academic exercise. They have got their product out of the lab and into the market.
“It is a remarkable achievement, and I know they will now go from strength to strength.”
