Sending polystyrene packing:
How Carbon Cell turn bio waste into sustainable polymer-based packaging
From agricultural waste to plastic-free packaging
Expanded polystyrene (EPS) has to go.
It was once the universal packaging material, but its sustainability credentials are poor. From the use of oil and gas in its production, to the difficulty in recycling it and how easily it gets into our waterways, seas and oceans, it’s time to look past its low cost and availability and find a credible. alternative.
Which is exactly what Carbon Cell has done. Its patent-pending, plastic-free foam has a low to negative carbon footprint and can be used to replace conventional plastic foams in sectors including packaging and insulation.
Not alone in their venture to create a more sustainable option for polystyrene packaging
Like other manufacturers, Carbon Cell transforms non-plastic waste material into foam particles. They specifically process waste biomass (typically agricultural co-products or material) to produce biochar, but they have an advantage.
The team (who met whilst completing a research project on the Innovation Design Engineering course at Imperial College London and the Royal College of Art in 2022) has created a moulding process similar in principle to that of polystyrene, which avoids the need to invest in a completely new manufacturing process and allows for a more easily scalable supply chain.
The Carbon Cell effect
Litres of planet-damaging EPS removed
TONNES reduction in of CO2e entering the earth’s atmosphere per year
Meet the PulpaTronics Team
Elizabeth Lee, CEO
Ori Blich, CPO
Eden Harrison, COO
Louis Wood, Operations Associate
Lucie Legrandois, Design Engineer
Andy Maneffa, Materials Science Lead
Dedicated support from Imperial
From initial conception of the idea to where they are today, Carbon Cell has benefited from being part of the Imperial entrepreneurial community.
WE Innovate
Carbon Cell took part in Imperial’s flagship programme for women-led enterprises WE Innovate in 2023 and reached the final.
The Greenhouse Accelerator at Undaunted
They were also granted a place in The Greenhouse accelerator, the UK’s longest-running accelerator for climate tech startups, winning best pitch in their cohort.
The team worked with two mentors to help with its pre-seed fundraising round, who helped them refine their pitch deck and present a clear business model, and move their case from good to excellent and investable.
Their mentors also helped map out their IP, assigning prices and costs to each stage of the process so it was clear where they could deliver value and which stages of the process would generate revenue.
As a result, Carbon Cell raised a £1.2m pre-seed round in April 2025 to scale its novel, plastic-free foam made from biochar and natural polymers.
Greentech Legal Collaborative
More recently, Carbon Cell has taken advantage of Imperial’s Green Tech Legal Collaborative which provides pro bono legal support for early-stage green start-ups.
The future
Taking biochar polymers beyond packaging!
Carbon Cell has grown both its team and customer base, and having initially focused on packaging, is ready to consider other options.
The team is already working with theatre and creative industries to develop their foam as a modelling material. Other interested sectors include construction for the use in both acoustic and thermal insulation, thermal packaging, and the automotive sector for use in composites. These sectors have higher requirements in terms of consistency and testing so they are currently longer-term projects.