Uluu Seaweed-Based PHA Materials

Uluu is an Australian company based at the Indian Ocean Marine Research Centre in Perth, Western Australia. It makes plastic alternatives from seaweed instead of fossil fuels, aiming to offer materials that biodegrade naturally and do not leave persistent microplastics.

Its process cooks seaweed with enzymes to release sugars, ferments them with salt-tolerant microbes that store polyhydroxyalkanoates (PHA) inside their cells, extracts the PHA with fresh water rather than solvents, and compounds the powder into pellets for existing plastic equipment. Injection moulding pellets are ready for customer trials, fibre-grade pellets for melt-spun yarn are in development, and films, foams, coatings and 3D printing filaments are planned with partners. The protein-rich seaweed residue is sold into feed markets. Seaweed is sourced through farming cooperatives in Indonesia.

• Seaweed feedstock: sugars from farmed seaweed replace fossil-based raw materials.
• Salt-water fermentation: salt-tolerant microbes produce PHA with lower contamination risk.
• Solvent-free extraction: fresh water releases PHA from cells without toxic solvents.
• Injection moulding pellets: rigid grades with tunable properties, ready for customer trials.
• Fibre-grade pellets: in development for melt-spun yarn as a polyester alternative.
• Protein co-product: seaweed residue supplied as a feed ingredient for aquaculture.

Consumer goods and cosmetics brands in Vietnam can pilot seaweed-based injection moulded parts such as caps, buttons and small containers. Textile and apparel manufacturers can join trials of PHA fibre for performance yarn. Seaweed farming and aquaculture feed companies can explore supply and co-product partnerships.

Uluu pellets run on existing plastic manufacturing equipment, so brands can trial them without new tooling. The material holds TÜV Austria OK compost HOME and OK biodegradable certifications. Solvent-free extraction and salt-water fermentation avoid hazardous waste streams and reduce sterilisation needs, and the seaweed residue becomes a protein co-product.

Brands in packaging, fashion and consumer goods are looking for materials that do not shed persistent microplastics. Southeast Asia is a major seaweed-growing region, and turning seaweed into polymers and feed protein creates new value chains for coastal farming communities in Indonesia, the Philippines and Vietnam.

Based in Watermans Bay, Perth, Western Australia. Raised A$16 million in October 2025, received a A$1.5 million Carbon Innovation Grant in December 2025 and A$2.1 million in Australian Government funding in April 2026. Named a World Economic Forum Technology Pioneer in June 2026 and won a SXSW Innovation Award in 2025. R&D partners include CSIRO and the University of Western Australia.