Start-up’s £150k to tackle plastic in world oceans
AFORMeR Dyson engineer hoping to tackle the problem of microplastic pollution in the world’s oceans has landed a £150,000 investment for his tech start-up.
Bristol-based Adam Root, who is also a scuba diving instructor, secured the funding from the British Design Fund (BDF) for his company Matter, which was founded in 2017.
Mr Root said he was inspired to set up the business after discovering the size of the global microplastics problem – tiny pieces of plastic that are causing damage in the ocean food chain – and thought he could use his skills and experience to engineer a solution.
When he decided to establish Matter, Mr Root had left his job and was living with his wife’s parents, he said.
“I didn’t have a lot of money,” he explained. “I received a £250 ‘Will it Work’ grant from the Prince’s Trust and used it to take apart a washing machine and create a filter that would be able to capture the microplastics from the water.
“That’s when I had my ‘eureka’ moment, as I found that my idea worked. From there, I went on to start the company and we’ve been growing at pace ever since.”
According to data collected by scientists from the US, France, Chile, Australia and New Zealand, there are more than 5.25 trillion particles of plastic currently in the world’s oceans, including microplastics that have been generated through food and drink packaging, and from washing clothing.
Clothing that contains plastics, such as polyester, nylon, acrylic and polyamide, is a big pollutant, according to Mr Root, who said around 700,000 microfibres are released into the sea after every machine wash.
The entrepreneur is now planning to use the cash injection to scale-up his tech solution for the capturing, harvesting and recycling of microplastics.
He said: “Having created a retrofit filter solution for domestic washing machines, we’re now looking to scaleup, while also finding solutions for commercial and industrial markets across the world too.
“It’s a hugely busy and exciting time for us and we’re delighted to be working with British Design Fund on the next stage in our development.”
Matter is also working with researchers and universities to develop new technologies for reusing the captured microfibres, to create a closed-loop system. For example, by developing them into sustainable packaging solutions.
Damon Bonser, chief executive of BDF, added: “We had been following Adam and his team’s growth over the past two years and were very impressed by the progress and impact being made by them in such an important sector.
“They are a great example of the type of purpose-led, product-driven startups the fund is keen to support and we look forward to seeing what they achieve moving forward.”
BDF works with ambitious British start-ups which are ready to scale-up. Alongside capital investment, BDF provides mentoring to support companies to accelerate their growth plans.