PACT

PACT is a Cambridge-based biomaterials company developing the world's first scalable, climate-responsible alternatives to plastic-coated textiles and synthetic leather. Its flagship material, Oval, is produced through a patented process that transforms surplus cosmetic-grade collagen — enriched with herbal extracts and natural oils — into a supple, printable, embossable material that can be coloured, textured and finished to the standards demanded by the world's most prestigious luxury brands.

The company was founded in 2020 by Dr Yudí Ding and Niels Ramay in response to a structural challenge facing the fashion and interiors industries: natural alternatives to plastic-backed textiles have historically failed to achieve the suppleness, consistency and industrial scalability that luxury maisons require. Oval is specifically engineered to be a drop-in replacement within existing roll-to-roll manufacturing infrastructure, making it commercially viable at the scale global brands actually operate.

PACT's 13,000-square-foot Cambridge headquarters houses a research laboratory and pilot production line capable of producing Oval at commercial volumes. The company has established partnerships with leading luxury brands across fashion, footwear, interiors and automotive, and its team includes senior hires from Hermès and Circa Group. Embracing Oval for just 1% of current leather and synthetic textile production would avoid an estimated 4.8 million tonnes of CO₂ emissions annually.

PACT has raised a total of £24m across seed and Series A funding rounds, with its Series A co-led by Forbion through its BioEconomy Fund I and HV Capital. The capital is funding commissioning of its pilot production line and expansion into new material categories. The company has been selected for the 2024 cohort of Tech Nation's climate tech programme and has collaborated with leading collagen manufacturers and tanneries as a trusted commercial partner on the path to industrial scale.