Naturbeads, the Bath firm developing biodegradable alternatives to harmful microplastics, has secured £7.8m in funding to further develop its pioneering technology, including building its first production plant.
Founded in 2018 as a spin-out from the University of Bath, Naturbeads is now scaling its innovative cellulose microsphere technology.
The series A round funding will enable the firm to significantly increase its production capacity to meet the growing demand for sustainable ingredients from multiple industries.
Naturbeads is already collaborating with a number of global manufacturers to integrate its cellulose microsphere ingredients into various industrial applications, demonstrating that their microspheres break down naturally without compromising product performance.
It expects to announce its first commercial milestones next year.
Microplastics – plastic particles which are less than 5mm in size – persist in the environment for hundreds of years, contributing to pollution in waterways, marine ecosystems, oceans, and soil.
They have been detected in more than 1,300 marine species, are embedded in the food chain, and have raised serious concerns about their impact on ecosystems and human health.
An estimated 2m tonnes of microplastics are added each year to everyday products from cosmetics to detergents, adhesives, paints and many more.
EU regulations to ban the use of micro plastics in cosmetics and other products were published in October 2023, with a view to phasing out rinse-off products such as shampoos and face washes by 2027, followed by the phase-out of further personal and home care products along with agricultural products, including fertiliser.
Naturbeads’ technology was developed by the company’s co-founders CTO Prof Davide Mattia, CEO Giovanna Laudisio, and the late Prof Janet Scott.
Dr Laudisio, pictured above with Davide Mattia, centre, and Naturbeads CCO Guiseppe Santoro, said: “Microplastics have been found at the top of Arctic mountains and in the depths of the Mariana Trench, with a recent study forecasting that microplastic pollution could more than double over the next decade.
“Our differentiator from other companies that are trying to solve challenges around plastic packaging, is that we are one of few that is solely focused on the plastic found within daily products and producing an eco-friendly, scalable alternative.”
Naturbeads is set to open its first production plant in Puglia, Italy, and will use the funding to step up its output.
The funding round was led by St Andrews-based Eos Advisory alongside existing Luxembourg-based investor Progress Tech Transfer and new backers Rome-based CDP Venture Capital, PI-NB and Paragon Capital Management in Singapore.
Eos partner Andrew Durkie said: “Giovanna and her team are tackling one of the most urgent environmental challenges of our time, and we look forward to supporting Naturbeads through its next, exciting phase of commercialisation.”
Progress Tech Transfer managing director Alberto Calvo added: “The leadership team has bold ambitions in coming up with an industrial-grade solution to tackle microplastic pollution in a variety of different applications, with a platform-technology that is delivering high technical performance with a fully circular approach.”
