SGMA offers practical, sustainable solutions addressing today’s accelerating global plastic problem.
The company is led by CEO Dr Fanya Ismail, whose innovative advanced materials research began at the University of Manchester Institute of Science and Technology (UMIST). SGMA’s pioneering work has won recognition and funding from the United Kingdom’s innovation agency, Innovate UK.

Dr Ismail is supported by an experienced executive, scientific and commercial team. SGMA has established non-executive governance under Chairman Stephen Scruton, former Head of Research at HSBC, and non-executive director Michael Hughes, UK and Ireland President of Schneider Electric.

SGMA’s clean technology platform has a wide and growing range of applications. The initial priority SGMA is looking to address is that of food packaging, and the impact this currently has on pollution and the environment.

In 2018-19 SGMA was a finalist in the global NextGen Cup Challenge. Since then the company has taken its technology through food packaging trials and is undergoing work to secure food safety certifications.

The paper-coating barrier developed by SGMA is part of a technology platform with multiple applications beyond food packaging, offering potential solutions to environmental and sustainability issues across numerous industry sectors. Vitally, SMGA’s process preserves paper’s ability to be recycled and it remains both biodegradable and compostable.