Next-generation materials company, Xampla, has been awarded the Innovate UK Smart Grant to support scaled up manufacturing of its natural, biodegradable Morro packaging materials.

The grant will support the existing European partnership between Xampla and 2M Group of Companies to bring its Milton Keynes manufacturing site up to a production capacity of multiple tonnes per day. 

The funds will support 2M Group of Companies to service the packaging industry with Morro materials, alongside its broad customer network in the material and life science industries.

Revitalising biomanufacturing

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

By 2031 Morro materials could replace up to 10,000 tonnes of single-use plastic coatings and one million kilometres of plastic-coated paperboard, otherwise destined for landfill, incineration, or environmental release, per year.

This new funding will not only accelerate the commercialisation of Morro materials but will potentially increase the UK’s self-sufficiency in biomanufacturing supply chain - creating jobs, driving regulatory change, and meeting the public demand for plastic-free solutions. 

Xampla CEO Alexandra French commented: “We are proud to be awarded this grant to accelerate Morro materials’ next phase of commercialisation and position ourselves as world leaders in sustainable packaging.”

2M Group of Companies CEO and chair Mottie Kessler MBE added: “We see huge potential with Xampla’s technology and the Morro brand and are excited at the opportunity it presents to support the transformation of our portfolio to more sustainable technologies and to add further value to our customers.”