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Breaking barriers in cleantech: how Calyxia is leading the charge against microplastic pollution and transforming industries
Microplastic pollution has infiltrated every corner of the planet, from the estimated 358 trillion microplastic particles floating in our oceans1 to the food we consume. The need for innovative, sustainable solutions has never been more urgent. Enter Calyxia – a pioneering cleantech startup redefining microcapsule technology and offering biodegradable, high-performance alternatives which are transforming key industries such as agriculture, consumer care, and advanced materials. Calyxia’s Co-founder and CEO, Jamie Walters, grew up in the UK, in a small community deeply rooted in the mining industry. Both his father and grandfather were coal miners. Not surprisingly, he was expected to follow in their footsteps. However, when the coal pits closed in the 1990s, leaving tens of thousands unemployed, he set his sights on a different future – one focussed on building industries that generate jobs through safe, sustainable, and added-value products.
Pursuing his passion, Jamie earned a degree in nanotechnology and followed it with a PhD in biotechnology and chemical engineering at the University of Cambridge. There, he began teaching and leading research in micro-encapsulation. In 2014, a collaboration with two professors working on a project with a major energy company in France led to the invention of groundbreaking technology.
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Jamie shares his journey of leading Calyxia from a lab concept to an incubator project, and ultimately to an industrial commercial enterprise at the forefront of combating microplastic pollution and driving a more sustainable, nature-positive economy. Bolstered by a recent USD 35 million Series B funding round2, Calyxia is now poised to accelerate its industrial expansion and drive sustainable practices on a global scale.
Many companies come to us to replace microplastics with a biodegradable solution. The reason they stay and grow with us is that our biodegradable capsules have twice the performance of traditional microplastic capsules
Hello Jamie. What an incredible journey. Could you tell us more about Calyxia?
Calyxia is a business-to-business industrial cleantech company with a new, highly patented manufacturing process to make sustainable, affordable, superior microcapsules. These microcapsules protect important ingredients like fragrances, herbicides, and vitamins against degradation and deliver them on command. This allows major corporations in agriculture, consumer care, and advanced materials to use fewer ingredients, improving cost, safety, and sustainability.
What key innovations set you apart from the competition?
For about two decades now, microcapsules have been one of the fastest-growing product formats in agriculture and consumer care. Today, they use microcapsules from an outdated manufacturing process that produces microplastic microcapsules that don’t biodegrade for hundreds or thousands of years. That’s the landscape. European regulation is banning their use in Europe, and the US and Asia will soon follow. So, the world will ban existing microcapsules.
We stand out from the competition by having a new process that produces products that are more sustainable, higher in performance and lower in cost. First, we have a more sustainable manufacturing process. Second, our manufacturing process is more versatile, encapsulating four times more ingredients. And third, the versatility of the materials allows us to develop biodegradable microcapsules.
Many companies come to us to replace microplastics with a biodegradable solution. The reason they stay and grow with us is that our biodegradable capsules have twice the performance of traditional microplastic capsules. In agriculture, using half the amount of herbicides, insecticides, fungicides, or pheromones for the same crop yield can massively impact soil preservation and reduce crop protection costs.
About ten years ago, it became clear that existing microcapsules were made of plastic and didn’t biodegrade… The next generation of microcapsules, where Calyxia comes in, is changing that by switching to biodegradable materials
Plastic products are everywhere in the agricultural sector, and their use threatens soil health and human well-being. What alternatives is Calyxia proposing to mitigate these impacts?
In the 2000s, microcapsules were developed to address key agricultural challenges, reducing the loss of sprayed substances through evaporation, preventing their runoff into water systems and extending the lifespan of agricultural products. As a result, it quickly became the fastest-growing product format in agriculture.
But about ten years ago, it became clear that existing microcapsules were made of plastic and didn’t biodegrade. This meant more and more plastic was being added to soils every year, leading to soil degradation and pollution. Over time, this plastic made its way into the food chain, with microplastics ending up on our plates.
The next generation of microcapsules, where Calyxia comes in, is changing that by switching to biodegradable materials. These new capsules not only eliminate microplastic pollution but also double efficiency, allowing farmers to use half as much active ingredient while improving performance even further3. In agriculture, we’re focussing on using ingredients that are safe and sustainable. We’re also helping biocontrol ingredients achieve the performance needed to replace more harmful alternatives.
Beyond agriculture, what other sectors are your microcapsules designed for?
We operate across three areas: agriculture, home and personal care, and advanced materials. These advanced materials are microcapsules used in coatings, composites, adhesives, and elastomers, designed to enhance performance, cost efficiency, and sustainability. Looking ahead, we plan to explore opportunities in food and nutrition.
I strongly believe that regulation helps to provide that sense of urgency and to make this topic a priority, plus regulation helps to stimulate innovation
Given the tightening regulations on microplastics, like the European Commission’s 2023 legislation to restrict intentionally added microplastics4, how do you see efforts like these reshaping the future of your industry?
It’s necessary. I believe companies genuinely want to make a positive impact, but they also have many priorities, and their main focus is usually on top-line and bottom-line growth. That focus is not always conducive with the amount of investment needed to replace existing products with a more sustainable alternative, because there are huge transition costs for an organisation, typically in innovation, qualification and deployment. I am not a strong advocate of transition periods. There should be a tax benefit to offset transition costs, encouraging companies to make the shift faster while compensating for the innovation expense.
I strongly believe that regulation helps to provide that sense of urgency and to make this topic a priority, plus regulation helps to stimulate innovation.
Why did you choose to set up Calyxia in France?
It wasn’t an intentional decision to create the company in France, but the technology was developed there through collaborations with ESPCI PSL and an energy company in Paris. We’re extremely happy to have stayed in France, largely due to the high technical expertise of engineers.
France’s startup ecosystem is strongly supported by the government through initiatives like the Research Tax Credit (CIR), which provides tax breaks during the innovation stage for young innovative companies. There are also other factors, like the thriving entrepreneurial ecosystem, the access to experts, to funding and to consultants.
Over the next decade, across three markets and various product ranges, we will eliminate tens to hundreds of millions of kilogrammes of microplastic pollution currently in contact with food and reduce megatons to gigatons of CO2 emissions
In the agricultural sector, France is the most aggressive in regulation, making it the first market to deploy for European and global companies. With this perspective, we also aim to expand to the USA, Japan, and the rest of Europe, because what works in France can work globally.
Could you share some figures on the positive environmental impact of Calyxia?
Our impact is really moving forward. Our process has a 90% lower carbon footprint than the incumbent; so 90% less CO2 emissions, 85% lower energy use than the incumbent, and 100% elimination of isocyanate and formaldehyde manufacturing waste compared to the incumbent.
Our products eliminate 100% of microplastic pollution from crop protection ingredients5. Over the next decade, across three markets and various product ranges, we will eliminate tens to hundreds of millions of kilogrammes of microplastic pollution currently in contact with food and reduce megatons to gigatons of CO2 emissions. This impact will be achieved through our connection with customers, as their use of our products drives these results.
What role does R&D play at Calyxia?
We have a strong R&D team, critical for developing and customising products, exploring new applications, and advancing new technologies. In terms of the number of patents filed each year, we are probably one of the most innovative companies in France6.
Our R&D7 and IP8 keep us ahead of the competition. Our motto is simple: by continuing to innovate, we will maintain and expand our competitive advantage.
As the cleantech and green tech sectors grow, they attract more customers interested in this space. The more customers we serve, the more sales we generate, and the greater the impact we can achieve
You recently raised USD 35 million in a Series B financing round led by LOIM via its Plastic Circularity Fund. What are your objectives from this funding?
To accelerate industrial expansion and product sales, and then to be highly revenue-generating and ultimately profitable by 2026. The new capital will help us to establish ourselves as a leader in the market.
The green tech and cleantech sector are booming. How does Calyxia stay competitive in an environment driven by rapid innovation?
Innovation is at the heart of what Calyxia does. Our products today are far ahead of the competition, and we leverage innovation at Calyxia to maintain or extend that competitive advantage.
As the cleantech and green tech sectors grow, they attract more customers interested in this space. The more customers we serve, the more sales we generate, and the greater the impact we can achieve.
What are your key regions, and which markets seem most committed to sustainability?
It is very specific. Agriculture is most committed to crop protection and regulatory compliance, particularly in Europe and the USA, where the focus is on developing high-performing, cost-effective, and compliant products.
The home and personal care industry is also driven by regulation, but it also sells products to consumers, who demand safe and sustainable products. Here I would say there is a two-fold driver, which is regulation and customer satisfaction.
The advanced materials sector is more interested in current and future regulation, because energy prices fluctuate. They want to reduce energy use and meet CO2 emissions targets, and using Calyxia products is a solution for them to achieve these goals.
What are the next major challenges for Calyxia?
We have world-class technology, strong IP, and established industrial capabilities. So, we have scaled to the level we need to get to. Now it is about scaling out. With a strong team and a solid commercial pipeline, the key is to focus more resources on core products and core customers, then deliver with speed and execution.
By doing this, we can expand progressively. It’s about building good habits, growing those habits, and step by step evolving from a successful company to a very successful one, and ultimately to a multi-billion-dollar company. It’s going step by step, but with focus and clarity.
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It is not intended for distribution, publication, or use in any jurisdiction where such distribution, publication, or use would be unlawful, nor is it aimed at any person or entity to whom it would be unlawful to address such a marketing communication.
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