Matter

Matter is a UK-based company providing solutions for capturing, harvesting, and recycling microplastics from domestic, industrial, and municipal water systems using its micro-filtration technology.

The company’s products include 1) Gulp, a microplastic filter for home washing machines; 2) Matter.Industries, providing industrial-scale solutions for addressing microplastic emissions; 3) Matter.Inside, featuring integrated patented microplastic filtration technology for laundry appliances; and 4) Matter.Materials, leading R&D initiatives for sustainable microfiber recycling. Gulp was launched on Kickstarter in October 2022, with backers receiving their product in September 2023.

Gulp captures cotton and other environmentally damaging microfibers and features a patented self-cleaning technology to prevent blockages. It has been validated by the University of Glasgow, showing a filter efficiency of 91%. Over 2021–2022, the company collected an average of 716 g of microfibers in test washes, and, as of October 2023, the total collection reached 50 kg. The company asserts that if half of the UK households had a Gulp installed, it could prevent over 3,000 tons of fiber from entering the ecosystem annually.

Key customers and partnerships

Matter works with laundry equipment manufacturers and textile brands to integrate its technology into their products and raise awareness of the pollution caused by microfiber fragmentation.

In January 2022, Matter completed a project with partners CGG Environmental Science, Brunel University London, and Swansea University to characterize micropollutants and contaminants, including microplastics and synthetic fibres, captured by domestic and industrial filters. 

Funding and financials

In August 2023, the company raised USD 10 million in a Series A funding round led by S2G Ventures and SOUNDWaves to scale its microplastic filtration technology and develop solutions for commercial and industrial applications.