Uluu snags SXSW award
The WA seaweed innovator has triumphed in Texas with its natural replacement for plastic.
Perth-based seaweed startup Uluu has been named as a winner of the 2025 SXSW Innovation Award in Texas, securing the top spot in the Sustainability Solutions category.
Announced last week at the Austin Convention Centre, the award recognises Uluu’s pioneering work in developing biodegradable polymers from seaweed.
The company, which was co-founded in 2019 by ecologist Dr Julia Reisser and former BHP executive Michael Kingsbury, uses a fermentation process similar to brewing beer to transform sustainably farmed seaweed from Indonesia into polymer pellets.
These pellets are designed to integrate seamlessly with existing plastic manufacturing processes to offer a scalable and environmentally friendly alternative to conventional plastics.
Uluu has been working with Deakin University to transform its polymers into fabric that could help the fashion industry reduce reliance on plastic fibres like polyester and recently provided a sneak peek of its latest textile prototypes (pictured above).
“Our team has been making incredible progress in improving our fabric properties, particularly in terms of fibre diameter and strength.”
“This recognition at one of the world’s most influential innovation festivals is a testament to our team’s dedication to pushing the boundaries of what’s possible in biotechnology and material science,” Uluu said of the SXSW win.
“A huge thanks to everyone supporting our journey toward a better future. The best is yet to come.”
Over the past six years, Uluu has attracted financial backing from the CSIRO and high-profile investors, including supermodel Karlie Kloss and musician Kevin Parker of Tame Impala, to advance its research and production capabilities.
The Innovation Awards are a highlight of the globally influential SXSW festival and provide a platform for emerging companies to showcase transformative solutions to global challenges.
The awards span 11 categories, including artificial intelligence, urban experience, product design, community empowerment, and health & biotech, and this year's event was hosted by Grammy-nominated artist SaulPaul.
The five finalists in the Sustainability Solutions category, announced in January, included USA-based Liquidplant (plant-based plastics), Low-Light Indoor Bifacial Solar Cell (to power electronic devices), and Dimensional Energy (products made from CO2), as well as Germany’s Voodin Biodegradable Wind Turbine Blades (made from wood).
These finalists were invited to exhibit their projects at the Innovation Awards Finalist Showcase during SXSW 2025 to offer attendees “a first look up close at the most exciting and impactful tech developments from a diverse set of companies from around the globe”.
Riding the wave
Last year, Uluu took a significant step in its plastic-free mission by securing its first commercial deal with surf brand Quiksilver. The collaboration aims to develop seaweed-based polymer surf apparel that performs as well as plastic textiles.
“Our team has been making incredible progress in improving our fabric properties, particularly in terms of fibre diameter and strength,” Uluu recently said.
“Unlike plastic textiles, our fabrics won’t release persistent microplastics during use and washing. They also offer a wider range of end-of-life options – reuse, recycling, and composting.
“We’re thrilled with the progress and can’t wait to bring these ocean-powered innovations to the world of fashion.”
Uluu creates its natural polymers, known as polyhydroxyalkanoates (PHAs), using a fermentation process similar to brewing beer. These polymers, derived from a combination of seaweed sugars, seawater, and saltwater microbes, offer the same durability as traditional plastics while being biodegradable, compostable, and free from fossil fuels. Uluu says that its range of polymers can replace plastics at scale, and because they are made from farmed seaweed, they also help remove carbon dioxide from the atmosphere, absorb pollution from the ocean, and create sustainable jobs for coastal communities.
