Welsh company PlantSea has surpassed its crowdfunding goal to transition its seaweed-derived biodegradable packaging from laboratory development to industrial manufacturing trials.
The company raised £350,000 ($478,347.92) through a crowdfunding campaign, exceeding its initial £50,000 target.
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The funds will support the move from laboratory-scale development to industrial manufacturing trials of its seaweed-derived biodegradable membrane.
The company’s polymer film is designed as an alternative to petroleum-based plastics, with applications that include laundry and cleaning product capsules.
The material dissolves in water or breaks down in compost and is intended to be used in standard manufacturing processes without the need for changes.
Plantsea aims for its product to match the cost and performance of commonly used polyvinyl alcohol (PVOH).
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By GlobalDataPlantsea CEO Rhiannon Rees said: “This is an incredible vote of confidence in our product. The capsule market is the fastest-growing in the laundry sector, and while PVOH is often marketed as biodegradable, it still contributes to microplastic pollution.
“If adopted at scale, Plantsea technology has the potential to remove billions of plastic-based capsules from the supply chain.”
Paid pilots are already underway with global brands.
The recent crowdfunding effort attracted support from more than 500 individuals via the Republic platform.
With this latest round, total seed investment from grants and private investors, including contributions from Angels Invest Wales, Sustainable Ventures, Syndicate Room, and Innovate UK, has surpassed £1.85m.
The new funding will be used to increase biopolymer production capacity one hundredfold and conduct demonstration manufacturing trials in the UK, Europe, and Asia.
Last month, Plantsea was also selected as one of nine projects in Mid and North Wales to receive funding from Innovate UK’s Collaborative Research & Development programme.
The grant is part of a wider initiative to strengthen innovation in agri-tech and food-tech across the region.
Plantsea chief technical officer Alex Newnes said: “This funding allows us to take some key next steps – to take our material that’s been rigorously proven in the lab and push it through real industrial conditions.
“This round enables us to accelerate demonstration-scale production and work directly with manufacturers to show that seaweed-based polymers can meet detergent-grade standards at a global scale.”
