Biomaterials firm Ponda named Innovator of the Year at Pride in Our Planet Awards

Ponda, a biomaterials company specialising in plant-based insulation and peatland restoration, has been named Innovator of the Year at the inaugural Pride in Our Planet Awards.

The award was presented at The Conduit in London on June 18, where a ceremony celebrated the unsung climate and nature heroes shifting climate challenges from abstract to tangible.

Created by climate creator Sam Bentley and supported by British media giant Sky, the initiative is designed to become an annual fixture, with five award categories established upon its launch.

Next to Ponda’s, awards also included Community Climate Hero, Business of the Year, Climate Communicator of the Year, and the Restoring Britain Award.

Ponda was selected from over 300 entries by an independent panel chaired by Katie White, the UK’s climate minister. It builds on past recognition from the King’s Terra Carta Design Lab, the H&M Foundation Global Change Award, Parley for the Oceans and PETA UK’s Best Vegan Down.

In a statement, CEO and co-founder of Ponda, Julian Ellis-Brown, said the recognition meant a great deal. He added: “We have always argued that restoring nature and building a real business are not opposing goals. Britain’s wetlands can be productive, profitable and permanent.”

The Bristol-based company specialises in the restoration of peatlands across the UK to grow typha, or bulrush, which is then harvested to create BioPuff, a plant-based insulation alternative to goose down.

According to the company, the material, which has already been utilised by brands like Stella McCartney, Berghaus, Sheep Inc. and Ahluwalia, creates up to 88 percent lower environmental impact than its animal-based counterpart.

In recent months, Ponda, which now delivers across 10 UK and European sites, has focused on scaling its offering through processes like drone-sown seed pellets, low-impact harvesting equipment and pilot processing in Bristol.

To support the next phase of expansion, the company launched a crowdfunding campaign last month, already raising 1.3 million pounds from existing investors. Once finalised, the financing will build on the five million pounds in funding already secured.