ABOUT XAMPLA

• Founded in 2018, Xampla claims its alt-plastic innovation is a natural solution to commercial scale flexible plastics. Made from plant proteins, the material has been created by technology entrepreneur and scientist Simon Hombersley, co-founder Dr Marc Rodriguez Garcia and finance professional Allan Rowley. A registered B Corp, the company is headquartered at the BioInnovation Centre in Cambridge (UK).
• Xampla’s material takes its inspiration from the humble spider and its use of self-assembling proteins to create a strong and flexible material. Described as a "supramolecular engineered protein," Xampla’s material is derived from widely available and renewable plant proteins, including pea, soy, potato, oilseed cake and fava bean hull sources. The chemical structure of the protein molecules remains unchanged, meaning Xampla’s material offering falls outside of the EU definition of a plastic (bio or fossil-based).
• On a mission to replace commonly used single-use plastics, Xampla’s material has numerous applications, but is currently in the early commercialisation phase and has limited availability. Examples of applications include as a replacement for dissolvable PVOH dishwasher wrappers and as microcapsules for fragrance, which are commonly used in the fragrance, home and personal care industries.
• The technology is also available for vitamin encapsulation, which is formulated to remain intact until the capsule reaches the intestines for maximum performance. The company has recently developed a range of edible and cookable wrapper films too, already used by Gousto recipe boxes for its stock cube wrappers.
• Alongside consumer applications, the Xampla material also has the opportunity to revolutionise agriculture. A partnership between Croda International plc and Xampla in 2022, backed by the UK Government and National Institute of Agricultural Botany for GBP 640,000 (USD 795,500), will see plant protein-based biodegradable coatings replace traditional plastic polymer seed coatings.
• To successfully replace plastic films and wrappers, Xampla’s material is strong and integrates into existing manufacturing systems without modification. Following its useful life, the Xampla material decomposes safely and fully in marine, freshwater and soil environments within weeks. When degrading in soil, the company claims the material breaks down into soil-boosting nitrogen-containing compounds. The film is certified for both home and industrial composting, and holds the ISO 14851 (freshwater), ISO 17556 (soil) and ASTM D6691 underway (marine) certificates.
• Depending on the application, it is also suitable for recycling in the paper waste stream and can be safely eaten too.
• Xampla has currently raised over USD 12 million in funding, including a recent GBP 1 million (USD 1.25 million) grant from an innovation partnership with Britvic, funded by the UK Government’s Innovate UK programme.
• Xampla received the ‘Best New Business’ award at the World Food Innovation Awards 2022 and has been selected as one of eight finalists in the 2022 Tom Ford Plastic Innovation Prize, as well as the Go:Tech Sustainable Tech Business Award.