The EU-Startups Podcast | Interview with Julian Ellis-Brown, CEO and co-founder of Ponda

In this exclusive interview, we sit down with Julian Ellis-Brown, CEO and co-founder of Ponda, the innovative biomaterials company developing the world’s first wetland-regenerating material supply chain.

Julian shares the story behind Ponda’s mission to transform how we think about materials – starting with BioPuff, a plant-based insulation made from bulrush grown on restored wetlands.

Discover how Ponda is redefining sustainability in fashion by linking material innovation with ecosystem restoration. Julian discusses the challenges and breakthroughs of scaling a regenerative supply chain, the role of farmers and landowners in their journey, and why wetlands are the key to a more resilient, carbon-negative future.

Learn about Ponda’s collaborations with major brands like Stella McCartney, Berghaus, Sheep Inc., and Parley for the Oceans, and how their crowdfunding campaign is accelerating the shift from pilot to commercial scale.

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Key Points Ponda’s mission was sparked by a bold idea: materials should restore, not deplete, their environments, with wetlands as the ideal starting point for this vision. BioPuff is a plant-based insulation derived from bulrush, offering a regenerative, high-performance alternative to goose down and synthetic fills. Regeneration goes beyond sustainability by actively healing ecosystems – such as rewetted peatlands – while creating materials, rather than just minimising harm. BioPuff can disrupt fast fashion by demonstrating that regenerative materials can be scalable, cost-effective, and viable for mainstream adoption, not just premium brands. Partnering with farmers revealed the critical role of collaboration, traceability, and shared long-term vision in building a truly regenerative supply chain from the ground up. Rewetting and farming degraded peatlands transforms them from carbon sources into carbon sinks, while enhancing biodiversity and flood mitigation.