Uluu has secured $2.1 million in grant funding through the Australian Government’s Industry Growth Program, supporting the commercialisation of its plastic alternative made from seaweed.
The project will accelerate Uluu’s scale up, increasing production 10x and getting more materials into the hands of customers as the company advances from pilot-scale development to a capacity plant producing 10 tonnes of materials a year.
“This funding allows us to move decisively into the next phase of Uluu’s journey—scaling production and further validating our materials in-market,” said Uluu co-founder and co-CEO Michael Kingsbury.
“It’s about bringing all our hard work in the lab to more customers and more commercial products, sooner.”
The increased production capacity will support a series of commercial trials, beginning with applications in cosmetics packaging and fashion.
As part of the project, Uluu will collaborate with brands to develop prototype products and bring capsule collections to market, demonstrating the performance and versatility of its materials in the real world.
The project will also support the achievement of key regulatory requirements, including food-grade certification, further home compost certifications and sustainable seaweed certification.
“Scaling a new material isn’t just about volume—it’s about meeting or exceeding the standards, certifications and performance expectations of our customers,” Mr Kingsbury said.