Bristol sustainable materials company Kelpi has been named a finalist in two categories at the Lloyds British Business Excellence Awards 2026, The Dext Innovation Award and The Social & Sustainable Impact Award, with winners to be revealed at Grosvenor House in London on 10 November 2026.
The double shortlisting reflects the two claims at the heart of the company’s entry: that its science is new, and that its impact is sustainable. Kelpi earns its place for a seaweed-derived coating that allows paper, card and fibre packaging to take the place of conventional fossil-fuel plastics. Developed in Kelpi’s Bristol laboratories, the proprietary biomaterial combines sustainably farmed seaweed with plant-based ingredients to produce ultra-thin barrier coatings that resist water, oxygen, grease and acidic contents while remaining recyclable, biodegradable and free from microplastics.
Taking on polyethylene and PET
Kelpi has set itself against the two plastics most commonly used in packaging, polyethylene and PET, and says its coatings can match or even exceed their performance. According to the business, that pairing of sustainability with proven functionality, delivered at a price point capable of engaging large industry, is what sets it apart, and it is what has allowed the firm to move beyond scientific innovation and demonstrate commercial viability with some of the world’s most recognised brands.
The company reports that it is already working with some of the world’s largest users of packaging across food and drink, cosmetics, personal care and household products, and that it has been procured for development and innovation partnerships with Diageo, Unilever, SC Johnson and Holland & Barrett. It attributes accelerating client demand to tightening regulations, ambitious corporate sustainability commitments and growing consumer expectations of environmentally responsible products.
That regulatory pressure is easy to trace in the UK, where HMRC’s Plastic Packaging Tax is charged at £228.82 per tonne from 1 April 2026 on plastic packaging containing less than 30 per cent recycled plastic, according to guidance published on gov.uk.
Recognition from a global giant
Independent validation arrived in January 2026, when Kelpi was chosen as one of the first 13 companies worldwide to join L’Oréal’s €100 million L’AcceleratOR sustainable innovation programme. Announcing the cohort on 14 January 2026, L’Oréal said it had reviewed nearly 1,000 applications from 101 countries for the five-year programme, which is run in partnership with the University of Cambridge Institute for Sustainability Leadership, and described Kelpi as harnessing seaweed to create recyclable, low-carbon packaging.
Purpose aligned with profit
The Social & Sustainable Impact shortlisting turns on the same evidence viewed from a different angle. A certified B Corp, Kelpi states that its ambition is bold but simple: to eliminate the need for fossil-fuel plastics in packaging without sacrificing performance, and that pioneering innovation, commercial success and environmental impact can go hand in hand. The business says it pursues that goal through advanced materials science, deep customer collaboration, rapid product development and a relentless focus on costs, and points to the demand it reports from major packaging users as evidence of the commercial case for a sustainable and ethical approach.
Kelpi now joins the other shortlisted businesses competing for The Dext Innovation Award and The Social & Sustainable Impact Award. Whatever the judges decide in November, the twin finalist places add two national awards shortlistings to a year that has already brought the Bristol company international recognition.
