Today Sparxell, the UK-based developer of high-performance, sustainable, plant-based pigments, has completed a £2.5 million funding round (comprising Seed investments, grants, and awards).
Sparxell was founded in 2022 by Cambridge scientists, led by Dr. Benjamin Droguet and Professor Silvia Vignolini, who discovered ways to replicate vibrant colours in nature using fully plant-based cellulose. This renewable, biodegradable resource can be extracted from waste streams.
Sparxell’s pigments use the same material that many plants and animals use to produce vivid, durable, and fade-resistant colourants. The products are toxin-free and fully biodegradable with a colour intensity that lasts longer than traditional colourants and pigments on the market.
According to Sparxell founder and CEO Dr. Benjamin Droguet, traditional chemical colourants cause major environmental harm at every stage of their lifecycle, from manufacture to degradation.
Over 10,000 fossil-based chemicals are used in current colouration processes.
The textile industry is a well-known emitter of dyes and microplastics, with over 1.5 million tonnes entering the environment every year. At the same time, paint has recently been recognised as the largest source of microplastics in the ocean.
Sparxell’s plant-based materials can be grown and sourced locally in a complete rethink of how colours are currently being manufactured while reducing transport emissions with industrial applications from cosmetics and textiles to paints and packaging.
Sparxell has already engaged in product innovation partnerships with applications for sustainable colourants, including car manufacturers, high-end fashion brands, and cosmetic goods manufacturers.
The Circular Innovation Fund, a global venture capital fund jointly managed by Demeter and Cycle Capital with L’Oréal as an anchor investor, participated in the seed funding alongside others, including SpaceX-backer Future Communities Capital, sustainability-focused investor PDS Ventures, impact investor Katapult, biotech and consumer sectors investor Joyance Partners, and climate investor SNØCAP VC.
Sparxell’s science has already won several significant awards, including the £80k 2023 Ray of Hope Award from the Biomimicry Institute and £200k funding as part of Morgan Stanley’s Sustainable Collaborative Prize.
