The packaging industry is awash with “green” solutions that aren’t as sustainable as they claim. Most alternatives to plastic are no more environmentally friendly than the oil-based solutions they are replacing. These new materials often degrade slowly, are made from products with limited supplies, or require costly changes to manufacturing systems. What we need is a deep-tech rethink that draws inspiration from nature and fits seamlessly into existing industrial processes.
True innovation in packaging starts at the molecular level. Instead of chemically modifying materials to behave like plastic, we should be engineering them to biodegrade naturally, without leaving harmful residues. This is where biomimicry offers a powerful blueprint: nature has already solved many of the problems we’re trying to fix. The challenge is translating those biological principles into scalable, manufacturable technologies.
One promising example comes from research into spider silk protein. Proteins are the building blocks of life. Their unique ability to spontaneously self-assemble into complex structures plays a vital role in most biological processes. Protein self-assembly into ordered nanoscale structures is responsible for the remarkable physical properties of silk, which has been described as the “ultimate biomaterial”, combining tensile strength with extensibility, and extreme toughness. However, silk-based materials lack commercial-scale production processes, which makes them unsuitable for high-volume applications such as replacing highly polluting plastics used in single-use applications. By mimicking this self-assembly mechanism using plant proteins, researchers at Professor Tuomas Knowles’ lab at the University of Cambridge have created materials that are strong, functional, and fully biodegradable. Their work underpins a portfolio of patents that form the scientific foundation for commercial applications.
An example of a company in this space is Xampla, a spin-out from the University of Cambridge, which has developed a proprietary material called Morro™ to replace hidden single-use plastics in everyday products. Morro materials, made from plants, have been proven to be “plastic-free” and can biodegrade rapidly in all environments, including marine water, without any special conditions, such as high temperature or pressure. This kind of performance is rare in the world of “eco-friendly” packaging.
What makes this material truly disruptive is its compatibility with existing manufacturing systems. Xampla has already begun commercial rollout through partnerships with companies like 2M Group of Companies, which produces Morro Coatings under license, and Huhtamaki, which uses Morro to coat cardboard for single-use packaging. These collaborations highlight the scalability of the technology and the effectiveness of a licensing model that enables rapid deployment without the need for new infrastructure. Rather than manufacturing finished products, Xampla focuses on developing platform technologies, such as coatings or films, that partners can integrate into their existing production lines. Meeting industry where it is, rather than requiring costly retooling, is a critical factor for adoption.
The company has also announced customer partnerships with Just Eat Takeaway.com and Bunzl Catering Supplies, demonstrating real world demand for high performance, sustainable alternatives. Unlike seaweed-based packaging, which can struggle with heat and durability, Morro’s protein structure withstands hot food, liquids and environments, making it suitable for demanding sectors like takeaway food.
The difference lies in the biological building blocks. Proteins can hold up under pressure and maintain integrity with hot cargos. These properties are essential for packaging used in takeaway food and other demanding environments. Without performance parity, even the greenest solution won’t replace plastic.
It’s no coincidence that leaders from the deep-tech and semiconductor world are now backing materials startups. Their experience with IP-driven growth and platform scalability is directly applicable to the packaging challenge. The goal isn’t just to make a better material, it’s to make it universally accessible, commercially viable, and easy to adopt. That’s how deep-tech scales.
From an investor’s perspective, there are three non-negotiables for novel materials. First, the solution must be drop-in: if it requires changes to manufacturing, it will be slow to be adopted. Second, it must match or exceed the performance of the displaced product, such as plastic, as no one will switch to a poorer performing product. Third, it must be commercially attractive to suppliers and end users. Sustainability alone isn’t enough, the economics also have to work.
These principles apply not just to packaging, but to the broader infrastructure supporting AI and data-driven industries. As AI systems grow in complexity and scale, their environmental footprint becomes harder to ignore. From server cooling to chip packaging, the materials we use will determine how sustainable this growth can be. Deep-tech offers a path forward if we’re willing to rethink the fundamentals.
The packaging problem is emblematic of a larger issue. We’ve spent decades building systems around plastic, and now we’re trying to retrofit sustainability into those systems. That approach is inherently flawed. Instead, we should be designing materials that work with existing infrastructure but behave like nature intended, not to mimic plastic, but replace it with something better. This is especially urgent given the global single-use packaging market was valued at $44.5 billion in 2024 and is projected to grow to $81.5 billion by 20341, driven by demand for convenience, hygiene, and e-commerce-ready solutions.
Real innovation doesn’t come from greenwashing or clever branding. It comes from science, engineering, and a willingness to challenge assumptions. The next generation of materials won’t just be biodegradable, they’ll be high-performance, scalable, and invisible to the end user. That’s the kind of deep-tech we need to build a truly sustainable future.
