A UK microplastic technology and innovation company has secured £7.85m in funding.
Bristol-based Matter creates solutions for capturing, harvesting and recycling microplastics. The firm said the Series A funding would allow it to scale its microplastic filtration technology for commercial and industrial applications capturing microplastics that would otherwise end in sewage sludge.
The round was led by S2G Ventures, the direct investment team for Builders Vision, and SOUNDwaves, the sustainability-focused investment vehicle backed by Ashton Kutcher and Guy Oseary.
Additional funding came from Leonardo DiCaprio backed Consumer ClimateTech fund Regeneration.VC, and Katapult Ocean, along with a small number of strategic investors.
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Matter will work domestic and commercial laundry appliance manufacturers to integrate its technology into their products ahead of incoming French legislation requiring new domestic and commercial washing machines to be fitted with microfibre filters by January 2025.
In addition, the Bristol company will use its microplastic filtration technology to turn captured plastics into fertilizer or will incinerate them, enabling a circular solution.
Adam Root, founder and chief executive of Matter, said: “Matter’s vision is to live in a world without micropollutants. We knew from the start that as a small company intent on tackling this global problem, we’d need to work with partners who have the scale, vision, and resources to help us deliver our technology as quickly and effectively as possible.
“The combined support and expertise of our investors enables us to accelerate our work, moving beyond laundry into industrial-scale applications of our technology, and drive globally meaningful reductions in micropollutant emissions with confidence and speed."
Kate Danaher, managing director at S2G Ventures, commented: “As established partners of Matter, we’ve been impressed by the relentless determination and speed at which they’ve been able to develop innovative solutions and demonstrate an instant impact on the industry.
“Continued investment in solutions like the ones Matter provides are critical, if not essential, to ensuring the long-term health of our oceans, and subsequently, the overall health of our planet.”
While Katherine Keating, managing partner at SOUNDwaves added: “Matter’s micro-filtration technology is class-leading and represents a crucial defence against the continuous flow of microplastic pollution from our homes, workplaces and built environments.
“Legislation is inevitable given the ecological and health impacts of microplastic pollution that are becoming better understood every day, and we are already working with Matter to realise the commercial relationships required to bring this impact to industrial scales, mitigating thousands of tonnes of plastic materials entering our environment every year from textile production and industrial wastewater processes.”
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