Loliware unveils seaweed resin, compostable utensils

At the 2023 Rethinking Materials Innovation and Investment Summit, Loliware—a San Francisco-based seaweed materials company—announced the launch of a new seaweed resin for injection molding. This new biomaterial will comprise the company’s first seaweed utensil set and be manufactured on standard plastic injection-molding equipment. 

“We’re thrilled to launch our second regenerative, compostable resin,” Loliware founder and CEO Sea F. Briganti says. “It unlocks hundreds, if not thousands, of new products to replace single-use plastics at scale using the industry’s existing equipment.”

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These new products will fill a market gap created by the United Kingdom’s recent ban on single-use utensils, in addition to the ban on single-use plastics under the European Union Plastics Directive. These new utensils represent Loliware’s formal launch into the European and U.K. markets, meaning their products will be widely available for businesses to purchase or license.

“Creating a seaweed resin that was compatible with injection molding machinery proved to be a challenging task, as seaweed has unique properties and stringent performance requirements had to be met for the resulting parts,” Loliware Chief Technology Officer Dr. Victoria Piunova said in her address at Rethinking Materials. “Loliware’s utensils function similarly to their plastic counterparts but, by composting naturally, are literally ‘designed to disappear.’”

At the Rethinking Materials event taking place this week in London, Loliware also introduced its newest advisory board member Jeff Wooster, the former global sustainability director at Dow Packaging and Specialty Plastics (a business unit of Midland, Michigan-based Dow Chemicals), and offered demonstrations of the new products. Loliware officials also met with potential distribution partners for the company’s new line of Seaweed Utensil Sets, as well as its popular Seaweed Straws line.

Founded in 2016, the company calls itself a leader among a growing number of regenerative businesses focusing on materials that support a stronger ecosystem. In addition to their compatibility with plastic extruding equipment, Loliware says its seaweed-derived resins are a cost-effective way to replace single-use plastics at scale. The seaweed can be processed into Loliware’s materials at local facilities and made into a wide array of products that compost easily and enrich the soil. Utensils and injection molding resins are ready for pre-order by contacting sales@loliware.com.