XAMPLA has announced it has been awarded the Innovate UK Smart Grant alongside 2M Group of Companies to support scaled up manufacturing of its natural, biodegradable Morro materials.
The grant will support the existing European partnership between Xampla and 2M Group of Companies to bring its Milton Keynes manufacturing site up to a Morro production capacity of multiple tonnes per day.
2M Group of Companies is said to have ‘significant expertise’ in chemical manufacturing, supply, and distribution. The funds will support the group to service the packaging industry with Morro materials.
Morro Coating is described as a ‘high performing’ drop-in plant-based replacement for traditional petroleum-based coatings. Fully biodegradable and home compostable, it is safe for food contact and offers ‘high’ strength, grease, and oxygen barrier properties.
Xampla added that, by 2031, Morro materials could replace up to 10,000 tonnes of single-use plastic coatings and one million km of plastic-coated paperboard, otherwise destined for landfill, incineration, or environmental release, per year.
This new funding is tipped to accelerate the commercialisation of Morro materials and increase the UK’s self-sufficiency in bio-manufacturing supply chain.
Alexandra French, CEO of Xampla, said, “We are proud to be awarded this grant from Innovate UK, in collaboration with 2M Group of Companies, to accelerate Morro materials’ next phase of commercialisation and position ourselves as world leaders in sustainable packaging. Our partnership will support Morro Coating’s route to market by unlocking critical in-kind support from key customers and enabling access to 2M Group of Companies’ world-leading expertise in manufacturing and distribution.”
Mottie Kessler OBE, chair and CEO of the 2M Group of Companies, added, “Being awarded the Innovate Smart grant is a fantastic recognition and demonstrates the importance of how industry and new technology can help build a better world for tomorrow. We see huge potential with Xampla’s technology and the Morro brand and are excited at the opportunity it presents to support the transformation of our portfolio to more sustainable technologies and to add further value to our customers.”
Xampla has already received funding from UK Research & Innovation and Innovate UK through the Smart Sustainable Plastic Packaging (SSPP) Challenge.
