Bristol, UK-headquartered Matter has been named a 2025 finalist for the Earthshot Prize – billed as the world’s most prestigious and impactful environmental award.

Founded by the UK’s Prince William in 2020 and recognised for driving climate action, The Earthshot Prize recognises solutions from different geographies, sectors and stages in their life cycle, and 2025 marks the halfway point in the Earthshot decade as the mission gathers pace in this next critical juncture.

Microplastic pollution is one of the fastest-growing threats to the planet with over 171 trillion microplastics floating in the world’s oceans, disrupting the blue carbon pump – a vital system that generates over 50% of the world’s oxygen and captures around 40% of global carbon. Increasing research also shows microplastics are infiltrating the human body, with links to serious health risks, including reduced fertility and heart blockages.

The largest contributors to this pollution are microplastic fibres, released into waterways from washing machines in homes through to large-scale textile manufacturing. These are the most abundant form of microplastics in the environment.

To tackle this crisis, Matter has developed Regen, a breakthrough filtration technology that can be implemented everywhere from homes through to entire industries and supply chains, addressing the world’s biggest sources of emissions. Regen is self-cleaning, cost-efficient and captures microplastics at the point of release. Crucially, it delivers both environmental impact and commercial value – a combination Matter believes is essential to drive widespread adoption and achieve impact at scale.

Regen is already making a difference. In textile factories, it is the first filter specifically designed to target microplastic fibres, preventing them from entering rivers and oceans every year while reducing costs and carbon emissions for producers. In homes, Regen powers the Bosch and Siemens microplastic filters for washing machines, capturing up to 97% of microplastics without the need for replacement cartridges – a simple, sustainable solution for millions of households.

Matter is calling on textile producers, clothing brands, washing machine manufacturers and governments to take urgent action against microplastic pollution. By 2030, its ambition is to deliver enough solutions across both textiles and laundry to capture 15,000 tons of microfibres.

It is this leadership, progress and future potential that impressed The Earthshot jury during the selection process in the search for outstanding leadership for the 2025 prize.

“As we reach the halfway point of the Earthshot decade, I am truly inspired by this year’s finalists, which embody the urgent optimism sitting right at the heart of our mission,” said Prince William, as founder and president of The Earthshot Prize. “In just five years, we have shown that the answers to our planet’s greatest challenges not only already exist, but that they are firmly within our grasp.”

“Our mission is to create impact at a size and scale that meets the enormity of the microplastic pollution challenge,” added Adam Root, founder and CEO of Matter. “The Earthshot Prize provides the platform to take that impact global – enabling us to work with some of the world’s most progressive companies and integrate our solutions into the largest supply chains. Winning this award would solidify our position as a world leader in this space. Crucially, the additional funding would unlock our ability to deploy more industrial units more quickly, while also helping us accelerate impact in the UK and overseas.”

www.matter.industries