Co-founded by Marc Rodriquez Garcia in 2018 Xampla offers the world’s first plant protein material for commercial use. A spin-out from the University of Cambridge, its natural polymer resin performs like synthetic polymers, but decomposes naturally and fully, without harming the environment. The company aims to replace the everyday single-use plastics, like sachets and flexible packaging films. And the less obvious, such as microplastics within liquids and lotions. Xampla is working with multi-national companies, including Britvic, Gousto and Croda on new technologies.

Xampla addresses the following  problems:

Condiment Sachets: Nearly 1 trillion food condiment sachets are produced annually worldwide. These small plastic pouches are uncollectible, unrecyclable and cause significant environmental pollution according to “A Plastic Planet”. 

Current Biodegradable and Compostable plastic: Many materials that are labelled biodegradable and compostable are still in fact plastic. Even if they are dissolvable they are actually fragmented into small pieces which contribute to microplastics pollution harming land and marine environments. (Ellen Macarthur Foundation)

Microplastics: Microplastics are commonly added to fabric softeners, shampoos and cosmetics, agricultural and industrial products. These tiny micro capsules contain fragrance, which are typically made of melamine formaldehyde. They stay in the clothes and release fragrance until they are washed out when put in the washing machine. They are invisible to the naked eye but do not break down further and hence pose potential physical and toxicological risks to organisms. Recent studies show that microplastics can be ingested by a wide range of animals and have been found in organisms ranging in size from small invertebrates to large mammals including humans.

Xamplas alternative to those plastic based products is not a chemical and not synthetic but made from plants such as peas. In fact it only consists of three ingredients: water, plant protein, and vinegar. That means that even though it performs just like synthetic polymers, it decomposes naturally and fully without harming the environment at the end of life.

By November 2022 Xampla had developed:

EDIBLE AND COOKABLE WRAPPER FILMS, such as stock cubes that can be dissolved and eaten as the wrapper totally dissolves and is healthy to eat. 

SOLUBLE FILMS FOR DISHWASHER TABLETS, that  replace the PVOH (soluble plastic) that is used currently by the leading household brands. Xampla’s  film has the same protective properties as plastic but is biodegradable and delivers no harm to the environment

MICROCAPSULES FOR FRAGRANCE ENCAPSULATION, that provide the same functional solutions to companies  in the fragrance, home and personal care industries.  But as Xampla’s microcapsules are made entirely of plant protein they decompose naturally, fully and safely in the environment.

Xampla teamed up with the  recipe box company Gousto to trial  the world’s first edible and cookable stockcube wrapper. Where the consumer would previously have taken a stock cube from a plastic or foil wrapper, they will now drop the whole item – wrapping and all – into the soup. It is estimated that once this is to be rolled out to scale and all stockcube wrappers at Gousto are replaced with Xampla wrappers, 17 tonnes of plastic can be saved at Goustos alone each year.

The edible packaging is made from  pea protein material as feedstock for edible products have to be food products. But products like dishwasher tablets, and other non food applications, are made from agricultural waste, for example potato protein that is a byproduct of industrial starch production. These byproducts have a lower value for farmers and typically go to animal feed, or are wasted by just being  ploughed straight back into the soil or going to an anaerobic digestion plant.

Biomimicry: The idea for Xampla’s product goes back to around 2005, when  Prof. Tuomas Knowles, co-founder of Xampla and one of the world’s leading protein biophysicists asked the question how spiders make silk. After extensive research he found that it is by rearranging proteins. Based on these findings he started to engineer common, cheap, sustainable plant proteins, one of the widest most available commodities on the planet. His findings form the base on which Xampla’s products were developed.

Xampla’s material is also used for  MICROCAPSULES FOR VITAMIN ENCAPSULATION  enabling  brands to micropackage vitamins within beverages without the risk of degradation during transit or storage.  Previously, brands either relied on costly ‘overage’ of vitamins and nutrients, accepting that the ingredients would deteriorate during the product's lifetime, or simply would not add vitamins at all. In 2022 Xampla joined forces with Britvic in a £1m packaging innovation partnership.

Xampla is the UK’s first university spin-out to be accredited B Corp status.