New Plastics

Since the industrial revolution, advancements in manufacturing have enabled mass consumerism to grow exponentially. However consumers are quickly becoming aware of their impact on the environment, demanding more from brands. Enter synthetic biology. Soon we will be able to produce a large share of the global economy's physical materials, without compromising on performance and sustainability. Insempra bridges the gap between synbio R&D and scalable, industrial manufacturing for brands. We believe the Insempra team can accelerate the creation of sustainable alternatives to traditional materials and we’re excited to back them on their journey.

Epoch is developing a computational approach to discover and optimise enzymes, which are natural machines that speed up chemical and biological processes. Several industrial and biomedical processes have found enzymes to be extremely valuable in speeding up reaction times, reducing energy requirements and enabling previously impossible reactions. Epoch will eventually develop and commercialise enzymes for several specific needs and use cases including accelerating plastic decomposition.

ULUU is a safe, natural polymer, PHAs (polyhydroxalkanoates), that is durable yet truly biodegradable. It’s produced via fermentation using saltwater microbes, which reduces fresh water reliance as well as the need for costly & harmful chemicals and the energy-intensive, slow equipment sterilisation processes that traditional manufacturers of plastics perform.

FLO Materials is commercialising a new class of infinitely recyclable polymers called polydiketoenamines (PDKs) to enable sustainable manufacturing for hard-to-recycle plastics, including thermosets and mixed material composites used in durable goods. Spun out from Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, FLO Materials aims to provide a turn-key transition to a more circular economy by combining a portfolio of recyclable materials and offering recycling as a service. Chemical recycling of PDKs through depolymerisation allows manufacturers to remove all additives, such as colours or plasticisers, and then remanufacture the recovered monomers into next-generation materials—without losing mechanical performance or aesthetic quality.

Modern Synthesis is creating the next generation of biomaterials. Their microbial-weaving technology uses living microbes to grow the biomaterials directly onto a scaffold. Not only does this allow them to create high-tensile, plastic free biomaterials, it enables greater aesthetic flexibility for their customers. They’re not just a leather replacement, they’re designing and creating entirely new materials capable of novel aesthetics.