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Simon Hombersley, CEO of Xampla, shares the story of how this Cambridge University spin-out has created the world’s first plant protein material for commercial use, pioneering the replacement of the most polluting plastics with natural alternatives.
Xampla’s ambition is to become the leader in natural polymers, and it’s been developing its natural polymer resin over the past 15 years. The polymer, which Xampla describes as a breakthrough material, performs just like synthetic polymers, but decomposes naturally and fully without harming the environment at the end of life.
Xampla is the first UK University spin-out to be awarded B Corp status and is working with multi-national companies, including Britvic, Gousto and Croda on new technologies.
Podcast host Catherine Weetman helps businesses use circular, regenerative and fair solutions to do better, with less.
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Read on for more on our guest and links to the people, organisations and other resources we mention.
Links we mention in the episode:
- Xampla website https://www.xampla.com/
- Xampla on LinkedIn linkedin.com/company/xampla/
- Xampla on Facebook https://www.facebook.com/xampla1
- Xampla on Twitter https://twitter.com/XamplaUK
- Simon Hombersley on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/simonhombersley/
- UK meal kit retailer Gousto https://www.gousto.co.uk/
- Infographic from Zero Waste Europe explaining the key issues with bioplastics and biodegradability https://zerowasteeurope.eu/wp-content/uploads/2019/11/rethink_plastic_infographic_bioplastics_wont_solve_the_plastic_pollution_en.pdf
- Sian Sutherland, founder of A Plastic Planet https://aplasticplanet.com/ and the Sack the Sachet campaign https://sackthesachet.com/
- Ep 43 with Richard James MacCowan of the Biomimicry Innovation Lab https://www.rethinkglobal.info/episode-43-richard-james-maccowan-of-biomimicry-innovation-lab/
About Simon Hombersley
Simon Hombersley is CEO of Xampla, a Cambridge University spin-out that has created the world’s first plant protein material for commercial use, pioneering the replacement of the most polluting plastics with natural alternatives. Xampla’s ambition is to become the leader in natural polymers.
A serial cleantech entrepreneur, Simon is also the Founder of Lontra, an engineering firm developing and commercialising energy-saving compressors. Simon previously founded TwentyNinety, Puntios Limited, and was CEO of Oxford Flow.
Simon has been published in:
World Economic Forum: There’s a single-use plastic you’ll throw away today without realising
The European: Let nature prosper by design
Business Green: A solution to plastic pollution? A plastic that doesn’t pollute
In November 2021, Simon represented Xampla at a COP26 Tech Nation event “Scaling Climate Tech”, where he set out Xampla’s ambition to replace single-use plastic.
About Xampla
Xampla is a spin-out from the University of Cambridge. Its natural polymer resin has been developed over the past 15 years. Its breakthrough material performs just like synthetic polymers, but decomposes naturally and fully without harming the environment at the end of life
Xampla is the first UK University spin-out to be awarded B Corp status and is working with multi-national companies, including Britvic, Gousto and Croda on new technologies.
Interview Transcript
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