Naturbeads, a Bath, UK-based startup commercialising sustainable and biodegradable cellulose ingredients, raised £7.8 million in Series A funding. St. Andrews-based Eos Advisory led the round alongside existing investor Progress Tech Transfer, and new investors CDP Venture Capital, which invested in Foreverland, through its Corporate Partners I Fund, PI-NB, and Paragon Capital Management in Singapore through its early-stage VC fund, Paragon Ventures I.
Plans to build a production plant
The funding will enable the company to significantly increase its production capacity to meet the growing demand for sustainable ingredients from multiple industries. The company is set to build its first production plant in Puglia, Italy.
Tackles challenge of microplastics
Microplastics or plastic particles that are less than five millimeters in size, persist in the environment for hundreds of years, contributing to pollution in waterways, marine ecosystems, oceans, and soil. They have been detected in over 1,300 marine species, are embedded in the food chain, and have raised serious concerns about their impact on ecosystems and human health. An estimated 2 million tonnes of microplastics are added each year to everyday products from cosmetics to detergents, adhesives, paints, and many more.
EU regulations to ban the use of microplastics in cosmetics and other products were published last year, to phase out rinse-off products like shampoos and face washes by 2027, followed by more personal and home care products, and agricultural products including fertiliser.
Naturebeads addresses the microplastics pollution crisis by offering biodegradable, plant-based alternatives to synthetic microbeads in cosmetics, personal care, and industrial products.
Cellulose microsphere technology
Founded in 2018 as a spinout from the University of Bath by Professor Davide Mattia, Giovanna Laudisio, and the late Professor Janet Scott, Naturebeads has developed a scalable, cost-competitive cellulose microsphere technology to manufacture biodegradable cellulose microspheres to replace microplastics in a wide range of consumers and industrial products.
Its cellulose microbeads are being tested in cosmetic and personal care products, paints and coating, adhesive, packaging, and many other industrial and consumer applications to replace polluting plastic microbeads. Its beads are 100% biodegradable and show the same performance as plastic ones.
It is also already collaborating with several global manufacturers to integrate its cellulose microsphere ingredients into various industrial applications, demonstrating that its microspheres break down naturally without compromising product performance, and expects to announce its first commercial milestones during 2025.
Andrew Durkie, Partner, Eos, said: “Giovanna and her team are tackling one of the most urgent environmental challenges of our time, and we look forward to supporting Naturbeads through its next, exciting phase of commercialisation.”
Alberto Calvo, Managing Director, Progress Tech Transfer, added: “The leadership team has bold ambitions in coming up with an industrial-grade solution to tackle microplastic pollution in a variety of different applications, with a platform-technology that is delivering high technical performance with a fully circular approach.”
“Naturbeads represents an excellent example of how a project born in the laboratory can evolve to large-scale industrial production, attracting international investment – and we are delighted that they have chosen to create a new production plant in Puglia”, said Agostino Scornajenchi, Managing Director and General Manager of CDP Venture Capital.
