In Denmark, Cellugy, a Danish industrial biotechnology startup developing biobased solutions to replace fossil-based materials in the personal care sector, has secured $9.47 million to support scaling up the production of its biofabricated cellulose-based rheology modifier material, EcoFLEXY. The new funding comes in the form of a grant from the LIFE Program, the European Union’s funding instrument for projects supporting environment and climate action.
EcoFLEXY is designed to replace fossil-based carbomers, known as harmful microplastics, significantly reducing environmental pollution and the use of hazardous chemicals in the cosmetics sector.
“An alternative material that simply aims to be more sustainable is not enough; the critical challenge is about delivering bio-based solutions that actually outperform petrochemicals in performance parameters like texture, functionality, and user experience, while also being scalable and operationally efficient,” said Isabel Alvarez-Martos, CEO and co-founder at Cellugy. ”Good intentions won’t drive industry change; we need higher-quality alternatives like EcoFLEXY that make it easier, not harder, for brands to choose sustainability. Only when bio-based materials match or exceed the performance and economics of traditional ingredients will we see the transformation needed to protect both human health and our planet.”
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