Jeff Seabright appointed Chair of Xampla

LONDON, Oct. 20, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- 

• Former Unilever Chief Sustainability Officer and Coca Cola VP, Environment & Water Resources joins Xampla as Chair
• Xampla is a Cambridge University spin-out that creates natural alternatives to single-use plastic
• Xampla is Britain's first university spin-out to be accredited B-Corp status

A FORMER board member of one of the world's biggest companies and White House climate change advisor has joined a Cambridge University start-up making plastic from peas.   

As Unilever's Chief Sustainability Officer Jeff Seabright is credited with turning one of the world's largest multi-nationals into a leader in sustainability.

But he has gone from leading the sustainability operations of a company with an annual turnover of £50bn across 155,000 staff in 190 countries and 400 household name products, to a company with no sales, no products and 10 staff.

Mr Seabright said: "We've known we've had a plastic crisis for a long time. But the biggest problem with plastic is also its biggest strength. Its durability is great when you are protecting your product and a nightmare afterwards. The great conundrum has been to find a product that is cheap and durable without lasting forever on our planet.

"Xampla is the most exciting innovation I have worked on. It has potential to have a positive impact on a global scale and is a ground breaking solution for industries in desperate need of natural alternatives to plastic. I am very pleased to be joining as Chair at this critical time."

Mr Seabright will bring Xampla a raft of environmental and commercial expertise from a two-decades long career in sustainability.

Before joining Unilever he was Vice President of Environment & Water Resources at Coca Cola. He also led the Clinton White House Task Force on Climate Change.

Mr Seabright will champion Xampla's sustainability efforts as it brings its natural plastic alternatives to market.

Xampla has created the world's first plant protein material for commercial use, aiming to eradicate the need for single-use plastics.

Its bio-based materials, some made from pea protein, decompose naturally and fully without harming the environment.

At the same time Xampla has become the UK's first university spin-out to be accredited B Corp status.