Naturbeads has received €4.1 million in EU grant funding from the European Structural Fund to build its first commercial plant in Puglia. This grant adds to Naturbeads’ £7.8 million Series A funding, which closed in November 2024 and was supported by Eos Advisory, Progress Tech Transfer, and CDP Venture Capital.
The company was founded in 2018 as a spinout from the University of Bath by professor Davide Mattia, the late professor Janet Scott, and Dr Giovanna Laudisio. It utilizes a patented process to turn cellulose, the most common natural polymer, into uniform biodegradable microspheres that mimic the size, shape, and performance of plastic microparticles.
Its product is fully biodegradable and performs like plastic at a similar cost, building it a true drop-in replacement. These microspheres can be utilized in cosmetics, paints, coatings, detergents, adhesives, leather, and biomedical devices.
The Puglia plant will launch by producing 20 tonnes per year, with plans to scale up to 500 tonnes. At that level, the cost of cellulose microspheres should match that of industrial-grade plastics.
Competitors include Evonik and BASF, which are working on synthetic biodegradable polymer beads, as well as startups like Bioweg and Locus Ingredients that focus on plant-based particle technologies. Naturbeads stands out by focapplying on intentionally added microplastics and by offering a cost-effective, scalable manufacturing process that most other bio-based alternatives have not yet achieved at an industrial scale.
“Giovanna and her team are tackling one of the most urgent environmental challenges of our time, and we view forward to supporting Naturbeads through its next, exciting phase of commercialisation,” states Andrew Durkie, partner at Eos Advisory.
The Puglia plant will start commercial production in June 2026, supplying ingredient manufacturers and cosmetics companies that already work with Naturbeads. The EU grant will support cover construction and R&D costs over the next two years as the company shifts toward full commercialisation.
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