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Simon Hombersley, CEO of Xampla, shares the story of how this Cambridge University spin-out has created the world’s first plant protein material for commercial use, pioneering the replacement of the most polluting plastics with natural alternatives.
Xampla’s ambition is to become the leader in natural polymers, and it’s been developing its natural polymer resin over the past 15 years. The polymer, which Xampla describes as a breakthrough material, performs just like synthetic polymers, but decomposes naturally and fully without harming the environment at the end of life.
Xampla is the first UK University spin-out to be awarded B Corp status and is working with multi-national companies, including Britvic, Gousto and Croda on new technologies.
Podcast host Catherine Weetman is a circular economy business advisor, workshop facilitator, speaker and writer. Her award-winning book: A Circular Economy Handbook: How to Build a More Resilient, Competitive and Sustainable Business includes lots of practical examples and tips on getting started. Catherine founded Rethink Global in 2013, to help businesses use circular, sustainable approaches to build a better business (and a better world).
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Read on for a summary of the podcast and links to the people, organisations and other resources we mention.
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Links we mention in the episode:
- A Circular Economy Handbook: How to Build a More Resilient, Competitive and Sustainable Business – buy from any good bookseller, or direct from the publisher Kogan Page, which ships worldwide (free shipping to UK and US) and you can use discount code CIRCL20 to get 20% off. It’s available in paperback, ebook and Kindle. If you buy it from online sources, make sure you choose the new edition with an orange cover!
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- Xampla website https://www.xampla.com/
- Xampla on LinkedIn linkedin.com/company/xampla/
- Xampla on Facebook https://www.facebook.com/xampla1
- Xampla on Twitter https://twitter.com/XamplaUK
- Simon Hombersley on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/simonhombersley/
- UK meal kit retailer Gousto https://www.gousto.co.uk/
- Infographic from Zero Waste Europe explaining the key issues with bioplastics and biodegradability https://zerowasteeurope.eu/wp-content/uploads/2019/11/rethink_plastic_infographic_bioplastics_wont_solve_the_plastic_pollution_en.pdf
- Sian Sutherland, founder of A Plastic Planet https://aplasticplanet.com/ and the Sack the Sachet campaign https://sackthesachet.com/
- Ep 43 with Richard James MacCowan of the Biomimicry Innovation Lab https://www.rethinkglobal.info/episode-43-richard-james-maccowan-of-biomimicry-innovation-lab/
About Simon Hombersley
Simon Hombersley is CEO of Xampla, a Cambridge University spin-out that has created the world’s first plant protein material for commercial use, pioneering the replacement of the most polluting plastics with natural alternatives. Xampla’s ambition is to become the leader in natural polymers.
A serial cleantech entrepreneur, Simon is also the Founder of Lontra, an engineering firm developing and commercialising energy-saving compressors. Simon previously founded TwentyNinety, Puntios Limited, and was CEO of Oxford Flow.
Simon has been published in:
World Economic Forum: There’s a single-use plastic you’ll throw away today without realising
The European: Let nature prosper by design
Business Green: A solution to plastic pollution? A plastic that doesn’t pollute
In November 2021, Simon represented Xampla at a COP26 Tech Nation event “Scaling Climate Tech”, where he set out Xampla’s ambition to replace single-use plastic.
About Xampla
Xampla is a spin-out from the University of Cambridge. Its natural polymer resin has been developed over the past 15 years. Its breakthrough material performs just like synthetic polymers, but decomposes naturally and fully without harming the environment at the end of life
Xampla is the first UK University spin-out to be awarded B Corp status and is working with multi-national companies, including Britvic, Gousto and Croda on new technologies.
Interview Transcript
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Want to dig deeper?
Why not buy Catherine’s award-winning book, A Circular Economy Handbook: How to Build a More Resilient, Competitive and Sustainable Business. This comprehensive guide uses a bottom-up, practical approach, and includes hundreds of real examples from around the world, to help you really ‘get’ the circular economy. Even better, you’ll be inspired with ideas to make your own business more competitive, resilient and sustainable.
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Podcast music
Thanks to Belinda O’Hooley and Heidi Tidow, otherwise known as the brilliant, inventive and generous folk duo, O’Hooley & Tidow for allowing me to use the instrumentals from the live version of Summat’s Brewin’ as music for the podcast. You can find the whole track (inspired by the Copper Family song “Oh Good Ale”) on their album, also called Summat’s Brewin’. Or, follow them on Twitter.
Episode 20 – How to be a problem-hunter
Episode 19 – Åsa Stenmarck of IVL on how to create circular behaviour
Episode 18 – Eve Kekeh of Bundlee
Episode 17 – Nancy Bocken of Homie
