Sarah Barradell
A new, non-toxic coating to replace PFAS in textiles and packaging has moved closer to commercial production thanks to recognition from the Royal Society of Chemistry.
The Fibrepel (formerly AguaShield) technology developed by London-based Demeter Bio, uses biomaterials to replace PFAS in applications such as clothing, upholstery, hygiene and packaging; replicating PFAS’ water and stain-repellent properties.
The company won the environment category at the RSC’s Emerging Technologies Competition for the invention, which delivers a safer and environmentally friendly alternative to PFAS (per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances), commonly known as ‘forever chemicals’.
Speaking afterwards, Adelya Khayrova, Co-Founder and CSO at Demeter Bio said: “As a science-led startup, receiving recognition from the Royal Society of Chemistry is incredibly meaningful. Their support has been invaluable in helping us advance our technology, and we’re honoured to receive this award. It will open the door to new collaborations across academia and industry, enabling us to further develop Fibrepel and accelerate the transition to safer, PFAS-free materials.”
PFAS have been linked to human and environmental health concerns but are commonly used in many consumer products, such as textiles and cookware, due to their water and stain-repellent properties.
Driven by the understanding of how the environment and human health is being impacted by PFAS contamination across the world, the Demeter Bio team began developing Fibrepel in 2024, after the two co-founders came together in Carbon13’s Accelerator programme.
As PFAS regulations increased across Europe, the team also noticed alternative coatings being developed relied on microplastics, which, despite being PFAS-free, are also linked to health and contamination issues and do not perform as well against oil and alcohol resistance. This inspired them to develop a solution that solves these challenges without compromising the environment.
Rayan Osseiran, Co-Founder and CEO at Demeter Bio said: “At Demeter Bio we recognised many PFAS-related solutions focused more on removing them from the environment, rather than paving the way for a PFAS-free future. If a sustainable solution can be found, we don’t need to spend the time and money dealing with these chemicals and their impact, which is estimated to cost over £50bn per year in in damages in Europe alone.
“Forever chemicals aren’t a problem that is going to be solved overnight, but our Fibrepel technology is a step in the right direction. Although our chemistry may need to be altered for different products, our core innovation is an exciting and scalable proposition that can be applied to multiple different industries.”
Ben Voysey, Entrepreneurship Manager at the Royal Society of Chemistry, added: “Our annual Emerging Technologies Competition celebrates the cutting-edge technologies that address global challenges, and we were extremely impressed by the calibre of entries this year. PFAS contamination is a huge issue and efforts like these, to develop safer alternatives for these chemicals’ useful properties, are critical to improving our health and the wider environment.
“Demeter Bio is an extremely worthy winner in the Environment category, and, alongside our other entries and finalists, we applaud their application of technically advanced solutions to this issue.”