Kelpi, the Bristol based sustainable materials company turning seaweed into an alternative to fossil-fuel plastics, has been named a finalist in The Social & Sustainable Impact Award at the Lloyds British Business Excellence Awards 2026.
From its laboratories in Bristol, Kelpi has developed a seaweed-derived coating that enables paper, card and fibre packaging to replace conventional fossil-fuel plastics. Its proprietary biomaterial technology combines sustainably farmed seaweed with plant-based ingredients to create ultra-thin barrier coatings that, the company reports, deliver excellent resistance to water, oxygen, grease and acidic contents while remaining recyclable, biodegradable and free from microplastics.
Taking on polyethylene and PET
The company pairs scientific innovation with a firm commercial focus on the world’s largest industrial users of plastic packaging. Its stated ambition is bold: to eliminate the need for fossil-fuel plastics in packaging without sacrificing performance. By combining materials science, close customer collaboration, rapid product development and a focus on cost, Kelpi is tackling one of the packaging sector’s hardest problems, replacing plastic coatings with a sustainable alternative that matches or even exceeds the performance of polyethylene and PET, the two plastics most commonly used in packaging.
Kelpi is already working with some of the world’s largest packaging users across food and drink, cosmetics, personal care and household products. Demand, the business says, is being accelerated by tightening regulations, ambitious corporate sustainability commitments and growing consumer expectations for environmentally responsible products.
Global brands sign up
In 2026 Kelpi was chosen for L’Oreal’s 100 million euro L’Accelerator sustainability programme, one of the first 13 companies selected worldwide, an announcement confirmed through the beauty group’s official newsroom in January 2026. The company has also been procured for development and innovation partnerships with Diageo, Unilever, SC Johnson and Holland & Barrett. In June 2026, as reported by Packaging Europe, Kelpi and global packaging manufacturer Amcor announced a partnership to integrate the seaweed-derived coatings into Amcor’s fibre-based packaging portfolio.
What makes Kelpi unusual, according to the business, is its ability to combine pioneering sustainability with proven commercial performance, matching the functionality of plastic at a price point that engages large industry. That breakthrough has allowed it to move beyond scientific innovation and prove commercial viability with some of the world’s most recognised brands. Kelpi is a certified B Corp, listed in the official B Lab directory with a B Impact score of 95, evidence for its conviction that pioneering science, commercial success and environmental impact can advance together rather than pulling in opposite directions.
A November date in London
Kelpi now contests The Social & Sustainable Impact Award alongside the category’s other finalists. Winners of the Lloyds British Business Excellence Awards will be announced at Grosvenor House, London, on 10 November 2026.
