A Cambridge University spin-out that makes plant-protein films, coatings and capsules to replace single-use plastics, including in takeaway packaging and stock-cube wrappers.
Xampla is a Cambridge company that turns plant proteins, such as pea protein and a rapeseed by-product, into materials that can stand in for single-use plastic. Its products include water-resistant, grease-blocking and heat-sealable coatings and films, a coating called Moro for takeaway boxes, and tiny edible capsules that can hold vitamins or fragrance. Unlike a plastic wrapper, these materials are designed to break down naturally in soil, home compost or water. Xampla does not plan to build its own factories. Instead it licenses its know-how and specifications to established chemical and coatings manufacturers, and its first licensee was the UK manufacturer 2M Group, which was already making the material at tonne scale.
The company grew out of about 15 years of research in Professor Tuomas Knowles's biophysics lab at the University of Cambridge, where scientists studied how spider silk proteins pull themselves together and asked whether plant proteins could do the same. Marc Rodriguez-Garcia, the chief technology officer, has described a spill in a lab experiment that dried into a surprisingly strong film, which pointed the team towards packaging. He calls it "a bit of a serendipitous experiment". On its mission, Xampla's chief executive Alexandra French has said the company aims to replace 10 billion items of single-use plastic over five years, and Mr Rodriguez-Garcia has said the focus is on replacing "the most polluting plastics" rather than every plastic.
Xampla is based in Cambridge and, in November 2021, it moved into a new laboratory in the city as its team grew. Its licensee 2M Group is a UK manufacturer, and its named commercial partners include the takeaway delivery company Just Eat, which trialled Moro as a lining for takeaway boxes, and the UK meal-kit company Gousto, which used an edible film for stock cube wrappers. It has also worked on edible capsules for drinks with Britvic. The pages we read do not give a headcount or say how many people work in Cambridge today.
On people and culture, a 2021 announcement about the new lab named a mixed team: a product development manager leading food ingredient work, a senior analytical chemist running fragrance and stability testing, an application scientist working on natural resins for seed coatings, research and project assistants in the lab, and marketing, communications and administration staff. The chief executive at that time, Simon Hombersley, said that "Everyone at Xampla is bound together by a common commitment to make a plastic that doesn't pollute". That is the company's own claim about its culture, and the team may have changed since.
A materials start-up like this needs more than chemists. The roles that appear in its own announcements cover scientists and technicians, product developers who test materials with customers, people who help partners get the material into their factories, and communications and administration staff. If you enjoy chemistry, biology, food science or design and want to see everyday items such as takeaway boxes and sachets change, it shows how those subjects can turn into real products. Check its website for current openings.
Website: www.xampla.com
PURPOSE helps school and university students explore 62 sectors and over 1,000 entry-level careers in the UK, then connects them directly with employers.
Explore PURPOSE