Repurpose, regenerate, reimagine: startups leading the future of material innovation

Organic materials are rapidly replacing their synthetic counterparts across industries, from packaging to food science. Here are some cutting-edge examples we're tracking:

Soluterials (Germany)

Soluterials has developed SoluteriAL, new aluminum material that’s not just an improvement on existing alloys, but a whole new approach. Made from recycled aluminum with a special mechanical process, it avoids the environmental impact of mining and eliminates the need for rare earth additives. 

Further, SoluteriAL is strong, conducts electricity well, resists corrosion, tolerates high temperatures, and ia designed to maintain its strength and resist deformation when exposed to high temperatures and stresses over an extended period, something no other aluminum can do. It is also 100 percent recyclable.

Nlcomp (Italy)

Nlcomp is focused on R&D in recyclable composites, It uses its patented rComposite technology to address the end-of-life issues associated with fibreglass boats.  

This year Nlcomp launched the world's first recyclable production boat, the ecoRacer 30, which features a thermoplastic matrix instead of traditional thermosetting resins. This allows for easier recycling of the boat at the end of its lifecycle, significantly reducing environmental impact.

The company is also working with wind turbine company Windcity to develop a recyclable vertical wind blade.

Xampla (UK)

Xampla spun out of Knowles Lab at the University of Cambridge in 2018.This year it launched Morro, its first consumer brand.

Its products include:

• Morro Soluble Film, a natural alternative to traditional plastic films such as PVOH, which is a synthetic petrochemical-based material commonly used to wrap dishwasher tablets and laundry pods. 
• Morro Edible Film,  food-grade packaging offering an alternative to single-use plastic packaging. The company partnered with Gousto to create the world’s first edible stock-cube wrapper made from plant protein. They sold out within an hour of going on sale.

PrintyMed (Latvia)

PrintyMed is using spider silk produced by bacteria to create scaffolds for tissue engineering. These scaffolds can be used for various applications like building heart fibres, artificial nerves, synthetic meniscus, and artificial bones. The technology has potential uses in medical procedures such as skin reconstruction and bladder repair.

Check out our interview with Printymed CEO Jekaterina Romanova.

Perfat (Finland)

Perfat Technologies aims to replace or diminish the reliance on unhealthy saturated fats. Its technology enables broader use of healthy vegetable oils, such as rapeseed or sunflower oil, previously limited in food production by their lack of techno-functionalities.

This offers a healthier and more sustainable alternative to traditional solid fats such as butter, palm oil and coconut oil. 

The company uses material physics principles applied to food science to give healthy oils the functionality of saturated fats. We have created the first gelled healthy vegetable oil with an engineered dietary fibre-reinforced micro structure to produce a solid, highly functional fat for the food industry.

This enables food products to retain their familiar taste and texture profiles, while significantly improving their health profile.

Lead image: Morro. Photo: uncredited.