14. PulpaTronics PulpaTronics is putting a stop to tonnes of unnecessary environmental waste, one metal-free tag at a time. Written by Helena Young Sponsored by Sage Published on January 12, 2026 About the Startups 100 Now in its 18th year, the Startups 100 is the definitive list of the most promising new UK businesses. There's no fee for entry or for inclusion in our index. The Startups team of new business experts judge all our top 100 entrants in collaboration with specialist industry consultants. See our guide to this year’s hottest new businesses and most exceptional founders in the complete 2026 Startups 100 index. Sustainability Award Nominee In recognition of a sustainability leader that prioritises the health of the planet as part of its company mission. Go to award Founders: Chloe So and Barna Soma BiroYear founded: 2023Website: pulpatronics.comYou might not know what an RFID tag is, but you’ve probably come across one before. The term stands for Radio Frequency Identification, and refers to smart tags that can be used to track inventory, prevent theft, and speed things up at auto-checkout machines. They’re pretty nifty. But these tiny tags have a big problem.Traditional RFID tags can’t be recycled. And those small tags add up: more than 40 billion RFID tags are made for single-use, with over 30 billion single-use tags left in landfills each year. That’s a stat that PulpaTronics couldn’t stomach: which is why it built revolutionary, metal-free, paper RFID tags.By using innovative laser technology that cuts a conducive circuit directly onto the paper, PulpaTronics’ RFID tags are completely non-toxic and don’t require metal extraction. Plus, they can be recycled along with other paper and card.Not only is PulpaTronics back on the Index, but the business has taken a big leap from 48th place up to 14th place. The startup is on a hot streak: in 2025 it was named as one of ten winners of the H&M Foundation’s Global Change Award, a winner of the SME Business Elite Awards, and was featured in the Manufacturing and Industry List for Forbes prestigious 30 under 30.Our judges have also, once again, shortlisted PulpaTronics for our 2026 Sustainability Award, thanks to the startup’s core company values dedicated to helping the environment. One million items with PulpaTronics RFID tags can save 2000kg of CO2 each year.What started from humble beginnings as a final year master’s project for founders Chloe So and Barna Soma Biro, has now grown into a mighty enterprise. PulpaTronics estimates its paper inventions can cut CO2 emissions by 60% and reduce cost by 30%, and potentially save retailers £9m a year on RFID tags.That’s why it’s setting its sights on working with major high street retailers, so they can make a switch that’s better for everyone involved: the business, the customer, and the planet.View the full Startups 100 Index for 20261. Omnea2. HIVED3. MAGIC AI4. OXCCU5. Lightyear6. Neuranics 7. Hormona8. Burbank9. Better Dairy 10. Lenkie Technologies11. Userled12. Hoxton Farms13. Rensair14. PulpaTronics15. TradeKart16. 32Co17. Carmoola18. cheqd19. Sightline Analytics20. Adamo Foods21. Bold Bean Co22. Beams Renovation 23. Pan Galactic24. Capi Money25. Spotted Zebra26. ANTHROTEK 27. Unravel28. Perci Health29. Untap Health30. Hair Syrup31. Connect Earth 32. spacebands 33. Unfabled34. Lightning Reach35. STOCKED36. Embeddable37. XR Therapeutics38. Literal Labs39. Scooch40. Openr41. Fibe Limited42. Inicio AI43. Peachies44. Better Nature 45. Ctrl Alt46. Resting Reef47. Nila48. ROXFIT49. Finmile50. NavLive51. Volunteero52. Inntelo AI53. Zonova54. A&B Smart Materials55. Ethicronics56. Treeapp57. kennek58. Soil Benchmark59. Vox Aeris60. Asan Cup61. Nuuri62. Mindstone63. MYNDUP64. Enbiosis Biotechnology65. JUX Food66. Danu Robotics67. Wylde Market68. Air Aware Labs69. Mimicrete Ltd70. ALYVE71. Happl72. Living Things73. Grub Club Pets74. Mealia75. PetProov76. Lylo Products77. Chest78. ZIM Connections79. Uptime Labs80. Teal81. Zero Fintech82. Micro Thermal Energy 83. Kanjo 84. Merlin Cloud85. My Skin Feels86. Eleria87. Cashblack88. RevvedUp89. Cosysense90. SuperFi91. Loom92. Legacy Compass93. Meshed94. SWURF95. Main Squeeze96. Sampl Technologies97. Over the Moo98. Pioneering People99. Bikebook100. Recondition Share this post facebook twitter linkedin Tags 2026 Written by: Helena Young Deputy Editor Helena is Deputy Editor at Startups. She oversees all news and supporting content on Startups, and is also the author of the weekly Startups email newsletter, delivering must-know SME updates straight to their inbox. From interviewing Wetherspoon's boss Tim Martin to spotting data-led working from home trends, her insight has been featured by major trade publications including the ICAEW, and news outlets like the BBC, ITV News, Daily Express, and HuffPost UK. With a background in PR and marketing, Helena is particularly passionate about giving early-stage startups a platform to boost their brands. That's one reason she manages the Startups 100 Index, our annual ranking of new UK businesses. Sponsored by: Sage Startups 100 Index Sponsor 2026 Sage exists to knock down barriers so everyone can thrive, starting with the millions of Small and Mid-Sized Businesses served by us, our partners and accountants. Customers trust our finance, HR and payroll software to make work and money flow. By digitising business processes and relationships with customers, suppliers, employees, banks and governments, our digital network connects SMBs, removing friction and delivering insights. Knocking down barriers also means we use our time, technology and experience to tackle digital inequality, economic inequality and the climate crisis.