Calyxia raises €15 million to bring an end to global microplastic pollution

Calyxia has raised a €15m Series A financing round, led by Astanor Ventures to finance international expansion and global product deployment, and play a pivotal role in the war on microplastics

●        GreenTech company Calyxia has developed the world’s first environmentally friendly and advanced performance microcapsule technology.

●        Calyxia’s technology is the only commercially available solution to enable global manufacturers to eliminate microplastic use and microplastic generation in industries such as agriculture, home care, electronics, automotive and transportation.

●        The European Union will ban all ‘intentionally added microplastics’ starting from 2022. Today, manufacturers don’t yet have an available solution to meet these regulations

●        Calyxia has raised a €15m Series A financing round, led by Astanor Ventures, to finance international expansion and global product deployment, and play a pivotal role in the war on microplastics

Paris, 24 September 2021 – Paris-based GreenTech company Calyxia is today announcing it has raised €15 million in Series A funding led by Astanor Ventures, a global leader in agrifood tech impact investing.

Calyxia was created in 2015 by a group of scientists from Harvard, ESPCI-Paris-PSL and Cambridge University. The team has developed, through 25 years of fundamental research in colloid science, a unique technology to produce the world’s first readily biodegradable and advanced performance microcapsules, to directly combat global microplastic pollution.

There are already an estimated 200 million tonnes of microplastics in our oceans and rivers. Microplastics have also been found in over 210 commercially important species of fish, and in over 90% of all tap and bottled water worldwide. These toxic particles are already in our food chain, with research by the Environment Agency Austria and the University of Vienna demonstrating the widespread presence of microplastics in humans.

Calyxia offers an sustainable and resource efficient alternative to replace and eliminate intentionally added microplastics. These are considered essential for products that require long-lasting and controlled ingredient delivery, such as active compounds in crop protection and fragrances in detergents.

The company also offers a game-changing solution to advance the performance and sustainability of plastic materials used in industries such as renewable energy, electronics, sporting goods, automotive and transportation. When these plastic materials break down, they generate microplastics that are released into the environment. Calyxia microcapsules create a paradigm shift in the mechanical performance of plastic materials, preventing the materials from breaking down and increasing the wear resistance and prolonging product lifespan in-use by over 10 times.

Jamie Walters, co-founder and CEO of Calyxia, said: “Microplastic pollution is an environmental and public health ticking time bomb. Without immediate intervention, the amount of toxic microplastics in the food chain could reach a tipping point with catastrophic consequences for food safety and human health. We are thrilled to complete this round with Europe’s largest impact fund, Astanor Ventures. Together, we can play a pivotal role in the war against microplastics and deliver on our mission to build an advanced and eco-friendly future for all”.

The viable alternative to microplastics

The European Union regulation, based on a proposal of the European Chemical Agency (ECHA) will ban all intentionally added microplastics from next year. The European Union will propose new regulations in 2022 to limit microplastics released from the deterioration of plastic materials, which are responsible for the vast majority of microplastic pollution. However, global product manufacturers do not currently have an available solution to meet these new regulations, forcing the European Commission to delay the implementation of the regulation at further cost to the environment. Calyxia is that solution.

Calyxia installed its first industrial production line this year and it is now fully operational. The company has already secured commercial agreements with world-leading companies in agriculture, home care and advanced material industries. Calyxia will use the new funds to finance its commercial and industrial international expansion.

Astanor is accompanied in the investment round by Calyxia’s existing private investor shareholders

Hendrik Van Asbroeck, partner at Astanor Ventures said: “Beyond the already enormous feat of decreasing microplastic pollution into our ecosystems, Calyxia’s technology will dramatically reduce the impact of the global agrifood, home care and advanced materials industries. With a deeply mission-driven team, extensive technological expertise, growing product pipeline, and eco-friendly manufacturing process, Calyxia is poised to make an exponential impact on a global scale.”

With this new funding, Calyxia has raised a total of €23 million from added-value business angels, and through the award of several grants including European Commission SME Instrument (2018), BPI Innov’Up Leader (2019) and BPI Plan de Relance awards (2020).

ENDS

About Calyxia:

Calyxia is an emerging multinational GreenTech company based in Paris, France, that designs and manufactures the world’s first readily biodegradable and advanced performance microcapsules. Their products create a step-change in the environmental footprint and performance of everyday products that are essential to our quality of life. They partner with world-leader manufacturers in the agriculture, home care and advanced material industries to take on the war on microplastics and build an advanced and eco-friendly future for all.

About Astanor Ventures:

Astanor Ventures is a global impact investor that backs ambitious entrepreneurs with disruptive, scalable solutions that will create systemic change across the agrifood value chain, from soil to gut. They partner with founders that are committed to restoring balance and sustainability to the land and oceans, prioritizing nature and culture, nurturing