Perth start-up, Uluu is tackling the plastic problem with a radically different approach: brewing plastics from seaweed.
Founded in 2021, Uluu uses red seaweed (Gracilaria) from Indonesia and a fermentation process to create polyhydroxyalkanoates (PHAs) — natural polymers that look and perform like conventional plastics but are recyclable, compostable, and marine-biodegradable. The process leaves no microplastics and even repurposes leftovers from the process as aquaculture feed or soil treatment.
Backed by A$16 million in new funding, Uluu will build a demonstration plant in Western Australia to produce ten tonnes of material per year (a big improvement on the current production output of 100kg a year), with plans to scale commercially by 2028. If successful at this scale, each kilogram of Uluu material could sequest up to five kilograms of CO₂ emissions per kg produced compared with fossil-based plastics, which emit 3kg.
Uluu claims to have already worked with some impressive brands, including Quiksilver, Papinelle, and Audi.