News & Updates
Carbon Cell at Material Matters, London Design Festival 2026
We exhibited at Material Matters during London Design Festival 2026, showing the range of our plastic-free, biochar-based foam. Plant pots, packaging and acoustic prototypes showed how a single carbon-negative material can work across packaging, interiors, composites and product design.
Liz Lee recognised in Innovate UK's Women in Innovation Awards 2026
Our CEO and co-founder, Liz, has been named in Innovate UK's 2026 Women in Innovation cohort. This year's cohort is the largest yet, with 100 women founders recognised across advanced manufacturing, digital tech and life sciences in the programme's 10th anniversary year. Liz was one of the founders spotlighted in Innovate UK's announcement.
Carbon Cell at Milan Design Week 2026 with ROOTS
Carbon Cell was exhibited in Milan as part of ROOTS, the Dutch exhibition of material innovators and designers. As part of the "Sleeping Beauty, A Symbiotic Symphony" narrative, a Carbon Cell lamp base was shown in the ROOTS bedroom, paired with plant-printed paper lamp shades by Working Bert.
Carbon Cell partners with Lineat Composites on sustainable sandwich composites
We've been working with Lineat Composites to explore how Carbon Cell integrates with their Aligned Formable Fibre Technology (AFFT™). The resulting sandwich panel pairs AFFT prepreg skins, made with SHD's FR308 resin system, with a compostable, biochar-based Carbon Cell core. It was showcased at JEC World 2026 in Paris, and we're excited about the range of sustainable applications it could unlock.
Carbon Cell named one of Dezeen's best designs of 2025
Carbon Cell was selected for Dezeen's Best Designs of 2025, part of the editorial team's Review of the Year. Chosen by design and interiors reporter Jane Englefield, it sits alongside products ranging from cars to headphones. She described our carbon-negative, compostable alternative to polystyrene as "an incredibly optimistic example of how multidisciplinary collaboration might shape a better future for us all."
Carbon Cell wins Silver at ReLondon's Circular Materials Innovation Awards
We're proud to have received a Silver Award and £12,000 in ReLondon's first Circular Materials Innovation Awards, which recognise London start-ups developing commercially viable circular materials. The funding will help us advance our compostable, biochar-based insulating foam as a replacement for plastic foams like expanded polystyrene. Thank you to ReLondon, the UK Shared Prosperity Fund and the expert panel.
Carbon Cell featured in Secrid Talent Podium at DDW 2025
We’re proud to have been featured in the Secrid Talent Podium at Dutch Design Week 2025, showcasing Carbon Cell among a group of pioneering sustainable designers. The exhibition highlighted innovative materials shaping a more circular and regenerative future.
Morrama to host 'From the Ground Up' exhibition at London Design Festival 2025
Carbon Cell was featured in From the Ground Up, an exhibition by Morrama for the London Design Festival 2025. The show brought together material innovators reimagining how design can move from extraction toward regeneration.
As part of the collaboration, we showcased a lamp whose body is also its packaging, a single, seamless piece made entirely from Carbon Cell. Alongside it, we showcased ring boxes and plant pots formed from our carbon-negative foam, each exploring new ways materials can serve and regenerate.
Carbon Cell featured in WDCD Accelerator 2025
Carbon Cell took part in the What Design Can Do Accelerator, supported by the Secrid Impact Fund. The program brought together eight global projects advancing regenerative design, with Carbon Cell showcasing its carbon-negative, compostable foam as a sustainable alternative to plastic-based materials.
Morrama to host 'From the Ground Up' exhibition at London Design Festival 2025
We're excited to announce "From the Ground Up," an immersive exhibition at the London Design Festival, running from September 16th to 20th, 2025. The exhibition aims to reframe industrial design from an extractive practice to a regenerative one, drawing inspiration from natural processes and a revised relationship with materials.
Morrama to host 'From the Ground Up' exhibition at London Design Festival 2025
We're excited to announce "From the Ground Up," an immersive exhibition at the London Design Festival, running from September 16th to 20th, 2025. The exhibition aims to reframe industrial design from an extractive practice to a regenerative one, drawing inspiration from natural processes and a revised relationship with materials.
Carbon Cell raises £1.2m to scale production of innovative low-carbon foam material
We're tremendously excited to announce that we have closed a £1.2M pre-seed round to scale our novel, plastic-free foam made from biochar and natural polymers. The round was led by Green Angel Ventures and Counteract, with participation from HERmesa, RCA Design and Innovation S/EIS Fund, and One Planet Capital.
Carbon Cell named Start-up of the Year at the 2024 BBIA Demeter Awards
We’re honoured to have been awarded Start-up of the Year at the inaugural BBIA Demeter Awards, celebrating innovation and impact across the UK’s bio-based sector. Hosted by the Bio-based and Biodegradable Industries Association (BBIA), the event highlighted companies driving the transition to a circular and carbon-negative economy.
Carbon Cell raises £1.2m to scale production of innovative low-carbon foam material
We're tremendously excited to announce that we have closed a £1.2M pre-seed round to scale our novel, plastic-free foam made from biochar and natural polymers. The round was led by Green Angel Ventures and Counteract, with participation from HERmesa, RCA Design and Innovation S/EIS Fund, and One Planet Capital.
2024 QMSVF Pitch Competition
Carbon Cell has won the 2024 QMSVF Pitch Competition! It’s an honor to have been chosen as the winner among such remarkable innovators. The level of innovation showcased was truly humbling, and we’re deeply grateful for the recognition.
2024 QMSVF pitch competition
Carbon Cell has won the 2024 QMSVF Pitch Competition! It’s an honor to have been chosen as the winner among such remarkable innovators. The level of innovation showcased was truly humbling, and we’re deeply grateful for the recognition.