Shellworks has announced it has raised $15 million in Series A funding to scale up global production for its plant-based Vivomer material and expand into the US and EU wellness market.
The round was led by investment fund alter equity with participation from Nat Friedman (NFDG) and JamJar as well as existing investors Founder Collective, Local Globe and Third Sphere.
Shellworks claims its Vivomer material has been proven to match the cost of conventional materials such as aluminium and glass despite operating at a fraction of the scale (approximately 5 million units). The company says it spent the last six years developing, testing and scaling the proprietary material, made by using microbes to ferment second generation feedstocks like used cooking oil.
Vivomer is designed as a plastic replacement that is stable in use but will ‘biodegrade completely’ when disposed of. Shellworks says it has secured partnerships with brands including Pamela Anderson’s beauty brand Sonsie Skin and personal care company Wild, distributed in Tesco stores and at Whole Foods with Phil’s.
The company states that the new capital will enable it to expand into the wellness sectors in the United States and the European Union by establishing regional production capabilities that ‘reduce carbon footprints and strengthen supply chain resilience’. The company is currently building a global production network focused on technologies like blow moulding with facilities in the UK, Europe, and the US.
Last year we reported on Shellworks’ claims to have developed the ‘world’s first’ fully home-compostable pipette dropper for products in the beauty and wellness sectors. The company stated that its compostable solutions had replaced over 90 tonnes of conventional plastic so far.
Also in the personal care space, Mighty Mouthcare’s refillable toothpaste dispenser and ‘biodegradable’ refills seek to keep single-use pollution and microplastics out of the natural environment without sacrificing convenience. The refills are apparently made from a biobased, naturally biodegradable material that does not leave microplastics behind.
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