{"id":49102,"date":"2021-09-23T08:03:13","date_gmt":"2021-09-23T06:03:13","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/packaging-journal.de\/?p=49102"},"modified":"2021-10-29T15:38:21","modified_gmt":"2021-10-29T13:38:21","slug":"xampla-markets-vegan-spider-silk","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/packaging-journal.de\/en\/xampla-vermarktet-vegane-spinnenseide\/","title":{"rendered":"Xampla markets sustainable films made from vegan spider silk"},"content":{"rendered":"<div data-elementor-type=\"wp-post\" data-elementor-id=\"49102\" class=\"elementor elementor-49102\" data-elementor-post-type=\"post\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<section data-exad-particle-enable=\"false\" class=\"elementor-section elementor-top-section elementor-element elementor-element-17d9f388 elementor-section-boxed elementor-section-height-default elementor-section-height-default exad-parallax-effect-no exad-background-color-change-no exad-glass-effect-no exad-sticky-section-no\" data-id=\"17d9f388\" data-element_type=\"section\" data-e-type=\"section\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-container elementor-column-gap-default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-column elementor-col-100 elementor-top-column elementor-element elementor-element-6936befc exad-glass-effect-no exad-sticky-section-no\" data-id=\"6936befc\" data-element_type=\"column\" data-e-type=\"column\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-wrap elementor-element-populated\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-4ab53d4d exad-sticky-section-no exad-glass-effect-no elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"4ab53d4d\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p>Researchers at the University of Cambridge have developed a sustainable material based on plant proteins. It is marketed by the start-up Xampla, could replace single-use plastics in consumer goods and is similar to spider silk. The first applications are currently being trialled and are due to come onto the market next year.<\/p><p>The spider's silk thread is a unique natural fibre, <strong>Extremely tear-resistant and elastic at the same time<\/strong>. Researchers at the University of Cambridge have now succeeded in replicating the structures of spider silk using soya proteins and developing a polymer film that mimics the properties of the spider's thread.<\/p><blockquote><p>\u201eSince all proteins consist of polypeptide chains, under the right conditions we can ensure that plant proteins assemble themselves just like spider silk.\u201c <strong>Professor Tuomas Knowles<\/strong>, Head of Research, University of Cambridge<\/p><\/blockquote><p>The scientist from the Yusuf Hamied Department of Chemistry in Cambridge has been working on this topic for many years. <strong>with the behaviour of proteins.<\/strong> His research focuses primarily on the question of what happens when proteins misfold or \u201emisbehave\u201c and how this relates to health and human disease. \u201eNormally we study how functional protein interactions keep us healthy and how irregular interactions are involved in Alzheimer's disease,\u201c says Knowles. \u201eIt was therefore a surprise to work with <strong>of our research is also a major sustainability problem<\/strong> to be able to tackle it.\u201c<\/p><div class=\"packa-in-post-alle\" style=\"text-align: center;\" id=\"packa-464941582\"><div id=\"packa-2653212165\"><a data-no-instant=\"1\" href=\"https:\/\/packaging-journal.de\/en\/newsletter\/\" rel=\"noopener\" class=\"a2t-link\" target=\"_blank\" aria-label=\"PJ Self-promotion English 03\"><!--noptimize--><img src=\"https:\/\/packaging-journal.de\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/PJ-Eigenwerbung-English-03.png\" alt=\"\"  srcset=\"https:\/\/packaging-journal.de\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/PJ-Eigenwerbung-English-03.png 840w, https:\/\/packaging-journal.de\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/PJ-Eigenwerbung-English-03-300x75.png 300w, https:\/\/packaging-journal.de\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/PJ-Eigenwerbung-English-03-768x192.png 768w, https:\/\/packaging-journal.de\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/PJ-Eigenwerbung-English-03-18x5.png 18w, https:\/\/packaging-journal.de\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/PJ-Eigenwerbung-English-03-332x83.png 332w, https:\/\/packaging-journal.de\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/PJ-Eigenwerbung-English-03-664x166.png 664w, https:\/\/packaging-journal.de\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/PJ-Eigenwerbung-English-03-688x172.png 688w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 840px) 100vw, 840px\" width=\"840\" height=\"210\"  style=\" max-width: 100%; height: auto;\" \/><!--\/noptimize--><\/a><\/div><\/div><p><img fetchpriority=\"high\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-49106 size-large\" src=\"https:\/\/packaging-journal.de\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/09\/spinnenseide-DSC_1013_01-1024x768.jpg\" alt=\"xampla tabs\" width=\"1024\" height=\"768\" srcset=\"https:\/\/packaging-journal.de\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/09\/spinnenseide-DSC_1013_01-1024x768.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/packaging-journal.de\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/09\/spinnenseide-DSC_1013_01-300x225.jpg 300w, https:\/\/packaging-journal.de\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/09\/spinnenseide-DSC_1013_01-768x576.jpg 768w, https:\/\/packaging-journal.de\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/09\/spinnenseide-DSC_1013_01-1536x1152.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/packaging-journal.de\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/09\/spinnenseide-DSC_1013_01-1320x990.jpg 1320w, https:\/\/packaging-journal.de\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/09\/spinnenseide-DSC_1013_01-600x450.jpg 600w, https:\/\/packaging-journal.de\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/09\/spinnenseide-DSC_1013_01.jpg 2000w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/> The first film packaging for dishwasher tabs is currently being trialled. (Image: Xampla)<\/p><div><br \/><h2>Xampla brings plastic alternatives to market maturity<\/h2><p>The new material is just as durable as many plastics in use today and could replace plastic in many common household products. For the further development and commercialisation of the new material <a href=\"https:\/\/www.xampla.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" data-schema-attribute=\"\">Xampla<\/a> was founded as a spin-off from the University of Cambridge. The young company aims to <strong>Bringing alternatives to single-use plastic and microplastics to market maturity<\/strong> and is currently testing the first sustainable film packaging for dishwasher tabs.<\/p><blockquote><p>\u201eWe are currently in the trial phase with a view to launching it on the market next year. The material is being developed as a drop-in solution for existing film casting systems.\u201c <strong>Simon Hombersley,<\/strong> CEO of Xampla<\/p><\/blockquote><h2><strong>Spider silk without spider <\/strong><\/h2><p>Dr Marc Rodriguez Garcia, formerly a postdoctoral researcher in Knowles\u2019 group and now Head of Research and Development at Xampla, explains the path from research to marketable product. \u201eAs part of our protein research, we were also interested in why materials such as spider silk are so strong, even though they have such weak molecular bonds.\u201c Plant proteins are also abundant and can be <strong>sustainably obtained as by-products of the food industry<\/strong> become.<\/p><blockquote><p>\u201eOther researchers have worked directly with silk materials as a plastic substitute, but it is still an animal product. In a way, we have developed a \u201avegan spider silk\u2018, because we have created the same material without the spider.\u201c <strong>Dr Marc Rodriguez Garcia<\/strong>, Head of Research and Development Xampla<\/p><\/blockquote><p>The \u201avegan spider silk\u2018 therefore mimics the properties of silk at the molecular level. The result: <strong>a plastic-like, stable film that can be produced on an industrial scale<\/strong>. According to the scientists, it is similar to high-performance engineering plastics such as low-density polyethylene (LDPE). The material also has excellent oxygen and fat barrier properties, and the barrier against moisture corresponds to that of conventional bioplastics.<\/p><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-49110 size-large\" src=\"https:\/\/packaging-journal.de\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/09\/spider-silk-Xampla_group-2000x1200-1-1024x614.jpg\" alt=\"Xampla films\" width=\"1024\" height=\"614\" srcset=\"https:\/\/packaging-journal.de\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/09\/spider-silk-Xampla_group-2000x1200-1-1024x614.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/packaging-journal.de\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/09\/spider-silk-Xampla_group-2000x1200-1-300x180.jpg 300w, https:\/\/packaging-journal.de\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/09\/spider-silk-Xampla_group-2000x1200-1-768x461.jpg 768w, https:\/\/packaging-journal.de\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/09\/spider-silk-Xampla_group-2000x1200-1-1536x922.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/packaging-journal.de\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/09\/spider-silk-Xampla_group-2000x1200-1-1320x792.jpg 1320w, https:\/\/packaging-journal.de\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/09\/spider-silk-Xampla_group-2000x1200-1-600x360.jpg 600w, https:\/\/packaging-journal.de\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/09\/spider-silk-Xampla_group-2000x1200-1.jpg 2000w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/> The new polymer film made from plant proteins mimics the properties of a spider's thread. (Image: Xampla)\u00a0<br \/><br \/><p>The new material is home-compostable and can be coloured. The researchers are also testing its <strong>Suitability for the production of waterproof coatings<\/strong>.<\/p><p>Xampla CEO Simon Hombersley: \u201eOver the next few years, it will crystallise who will be the most important player in the <strong>A nose ahead in the field of plastic alternatives<\/strong> has. We want to be one of these winners with Xampla and serve customers in all packaging applications.\u201c<\/p><\/div>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-d81d8c9 exad-sticky-section-no exad-glass-effect-no elementor-widget elementor-widget-spacer\" data-id=\"d81d8c9\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"spacer.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-spacer\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-spacer-inner\"><\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t<section data-exad-particle-enable=\"false\" class=\"elementor-section elementor-inner-section elementor-element elementor-element-538da055 elementor-section-boxed elementor-section-height-default elementor-section-height-default exad-parallax-effect-no exad-background-color-change-no 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data-e-type=\"column\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-wrap elementor-element-populated\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-7d7925a6 exad-sticky-section-no exad-glass-effect-no elementor-widget elementor-widget-heading\" data-id=\"7d7925a6\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"heading.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<h2 class=\"elementor-heading-title elementor-size-default\">Published in packaging journal 7\/2021<\/h2>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-52cacf7 exad-sticky-section-no exad-glass-effect-no elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"52cacf7\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p><strong>Special Fachpack:<br \/><\/strong>Trends and news about the trade fair<\/p><p><strong>The future of packaging at Procter &amp; Gamble<br \/><\/strong>Interview J\u00fcrgen Dornheim:<br \/><br \/><strong>Packaging, packaging materials:<\/strong> <br \/>Start-up Mr Fred packs dog food in Tetra Paks<br \/>Minimum standard for assessing the recyclability of packaging updated<br \/>New virgin fibre paper with water-based coating<br \/>Live talk on the question: Plastics - quo vadis?<br \/><br \/><strong>Sustainability:<\/strong> <br \/>Efficient packaging for biscuits and waffles<br \/>New materials <br \/>Studies: How environmentally friendly is silphie paper? <br \/>More circular economy for plastic packaging<br \/><br \/><strong>Labelling:<\/strong><br \/>Company-wide labelling solutions are in demand<br \/>Linerless technologies<br \/><br \/><strong>Packaging technology:<\/strong><br \/>Practical report on automatic pallet stabilisation<br \/><br \/><strong>Automation:<\/strong><br \/>Practical report on new degrees of freedom despite standardisation<br \/><br \/><strong>German Packaging Award 2021:<\/strong><br \/>A selection of the best packaging of the year<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Researchers at the University of Cambridge have developed a sustainable material based on plant proteins. It is marketed by the start-up Xampla, could replace single-use plastics in consumer goods and is similar to spider silk. The first applications are currently being trialled and are due to come onto the market next year.","protected":false},"author":20,"featured_media":49111,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"__cvm_playback_settings":[],"__cvm_video_id":"","rank_math_description":"Xampla und die Universit\u00e4t Cambridge haben ein nachhaltiges Material auf Basis von Pflanzenproteinen entwickelt, das der Spinnenseide \u00e4hnlich ist.","rank_math_focus_keyword":"Xampla","rank_math_title":"","csco_display_header_overlay":false,"csco_singular_sidebar":"","csco_page_header_type":"","csco_page_load_nextpost":"","csco_post_video_location":[],"csco_post_video_location_hash":"","csco_post_video_url":"","csco_post_video_bg_start_time":0,"csco_post_video_bg_end_time":0,"footnotes":"","_links_to":"","_links_to_target":""},"categories":[28,58781],"tags":[54,59363,31,32,59228],"class_list":{"0":"post-49102","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-aus-dem-magazin","8":"category-green-packaging","9":"tag-kunststoff-und-verbunde","10":"tag-magazin-07-2021","11":"tag-nachhaltigkeit-und-green-packaging","12":"tag-packmittel-und-packstoffe","13":"tag-xampla","14":"cs-entry","15":"cs-video-wrap"},"acf":[],"vimeo_video":null,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/packaging-journal.de\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/49102","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/packaging-journal.de\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/packaging-journal.de\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/packaging-journal.de\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/20"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/packaging-journal.de\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=49102"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/packaging-journal.de\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/49102\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/packaging-journal.de\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/49111"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/packaging-journal.de\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=49102"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/packaging-journal.de\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=49102"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/packaging-journal.de\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=49102"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}