10075270Seaweed derived Films to displace hard to recycle plasticsClosedGrant for R&DInnovate UKPlastics contained or concealed in mixed materials are notoriously difficult to recycle. Recycling facilities do not have resources to separate mixed materials, meaning otherwise-recyclable items like windowed envelopes and wet wipes end up in landfill. These 'hidden' plastics generate significant waste. For example, 650 billion envelopes are produced annually worldwide (30% contain plastic), generating 110kt of plastic waste. FlexSea's vision is a carbon-negative solution of a compostable biopolymer material, derived from seaweed and other natural, sustainably sourced products. FlexSea Film is a fully biodegradable alternative to single-use plastics. Its production benefits small local communities, the environment by protecting coastlines and cultivating seaweed, an effective carbon sequester. Being entirely biodegradable in natural environments, FlexSea material is washed away in the recycling process. Our solution aligns with EPR strategies in force globally, which require companies to be responsible for their packaging after the product has been used. In this project we will: -Improve the water barrier and mechanical strength of FlexSea transparent films. -Analyse water barrier and mechanical properties to establish suitable application, like windowed envelopes. -We will perform ecotoxicity testing of our films to ensure environmental benefits for the adoption of our solution. -We will evaluate the scalability and integration of our solution within different use cases, focusing on windowed envelopes.