Xampla’s partnership with 2M Group: Bio-based avoidance of the EU Single Use Plastic Directive

22 Nov 2023 --- Xampla is partnering with material and life sciences company 2M Group to scale up the production and distribution of its plant-based materials. The announcement comes shortly after Xampla launched consumer brand Morro, replacing fossil-based packaging on supermarket shelves in the UK.

Under the agreement, 2M will manufacture “multiple tons” of Morro materials at its Milton Keynes Manufacturing site in the UK. Financial details are not disclosed.

Speaking to Packaging Insights, a Xampla spokesperson says the collaboration will at first focus on manufacturing and distribution within Europe.

“Rather than being about R&D, this partnership is focused on industrialization, processes and scaling up manufacturing of Morro materials. Xampla will continue to develop plastic-free solutions and technology, and 2M will manufacture Morro materials at scale.”

Through 2M’s subsidiaries, which provide formulation, manufacturing and distribution services, the duo says it will address evolving customer needs in the personal & homecare Institutional and Industrial markets.

Alexandra French, CEO of Xampla, describes the partnership with 2M as a “major milestone that will take Morro to the next commercialization phase.”

An example of bio-based Morro sachets.“Working with 2M’s wide-reaching network, our collaboration will enable more customers to use Morro materials across a range of products, demonstrating the potential for plant-based materials in eliminating polluting plastics,” she says.

Morro’s plant-based mission
Morro products are a plant-based drop-in alternative to traditional plastic that the company says rapidly degrades at end-of-life. The brand will enable 2M to expand its portfolio of bio-based alternatives for manufacturing and distribution directly to brands — ultimately eliminating plastics from the supply chain.

Morro Coating is a plant-based replacement for these traditional petroleum-based coatings. Fully biodegradable and home compostable, it is safe for food contact and offers high strength, grease and oxygen barrier properties.

Mottie Kessler OBE, chair and CEO of 2M, says he sees “ huge potential with Xampla’s technology and the Morro brand” and is “excited at the opportunity it presents to support the transformation of our portfolio to more sustainable technologies.”

Morro materials are made from natural polymers and are therefore not chemically modified, exempting them from the existing European Single Use Plastic Directive.

Xampla’s founding mission
Originally a spin-off company from the University of Cambridge, UK, the Xampla team has been conducting research on bio-based materials for over 15 years.

The company was officially founded in 2018, and Xampla was first launched in 2018, with its developers saying their research included mimicking the composition of spider’s silk — one of the strongest naturally occurring materials, to form products that now make up the Morro brand.

Recently, we spoke to Stanley Mitchell, head of business development at Xampla, about the launch of Morro and the “Morro marque” that shows consumers which products contain the company’s materials.

Mitchell described how Morro’s patented materials are neither plastic nor bioplastic but a range of breakthrough materials made from sustainably sourced feedstocks.

“Policymakers can support Xampla and the widespread uptake of the Morro brand by increasing regulations on the most polluting plastics. Natural and scalable replacement materials are already in the market and will grow at pace as polluting plastics are consigned to the past,” he said.

By Louis Gore-Langton

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