Charting New Waters: A Seaweed-Based Solution for a Changing Textile Industry
- Fiona McOmish
- Aug 5
- 3 min read
Over the past six months, Algae Scope has reached several meaningful milestones that mark a pivotal period of growth — not only in terms of recognition, traction and funding, but also in laying the groundwork for a more sustainable performance-driven textile sector.
As we continue to develop our bio-based water- and fireproof coating for textiles made entirely from seaweed, we remain focused on the same principles that shaped our journey from day one: rigorous research, high-performance outcomes, and building solutions that respond directly to an urgent and accelerating industry shift.
A Sector at a Tipping Point
The textile industry is urgently seeking high-performing, sustainable alternatives to synthetic coatings - particularly as regulations tighten around the use of PFAS chemicals. For example, France has already announced PFAS bans in textile coatings starting in 2026, and other markets are expected to quickly follow ahead of a complete targeted EU PFAS ban by 2030.
While a handful of bio-based water-repellent products have emerged, most stop short at offering comprehensive fire protection - an essential feature for many textile applications. Our coating has been successfully validated on cotton, nylon, polyester, and bio-composites for soft furnishings, technical and performance textiles.
Other companies rely on blends that still incorporate synthetic ingredients, undermining their long-term viability in a regulatory landscape that increasingly rewards complete elimination of toxic inputs.
The below photos provide an indication of Algae Scope coating's performance in the lab, showing both water-resistance and fire-retardance combined in a single product. It's industry-ready, given its 'drop-in' format, meaning that no new infrastructure or costly production changes are required. It’s a solution designed to meet existing industry needs with minimal friction and maximum impact.
Scientific Rigour, Real Impact
Backed by over a decade of materials science expertise, Algae Scope is actively broadening testing across different fabric types, stress conditions, and end-use environments. Our roadmap includes further product variants, with additional functionality currently under development.
We’re developing more than just a proof-of-concept. We’re building a credible, validated alternative that aligns with the realities of manufacturing and regulation, while actively supporting global climate and public health objectives. But we can't do it alone. It's essential that we continue to develop the coating in close collaboration with textile manufacturers, formulators and brands to ensure the product performs optimally with every application, and is fully compatible with existing infrastructures.
Recognised Progress: Awards, Accelerators and Grants
Algae Scope’s solutions have been recognised by several leading industry programmes that have brought significant strategic validation and support, including:
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Horizon Circular Biobased Europe project (starts September 2025)
Encubator Award Winner (PoliHub, Italy)
Winner UNOC 2025 ‘One Health: Wellbeing and Sustainability’ Prize (Nice, France)
NEC Innovation Challenge 2025 – Winner of the DNP Prize (Japan)
Winner of the MaltAccelerate 'High Growth' Award (Malta)
2nd place in the iNEST - Innovation Ecosystem for North East of Italy, 2025
Village Capital Accelerator (UK)
Winner of the @SerenDPT prize on the MITdesignX Venice Accelerator (Italy)
Founderland (Berlin)
EIT Climate-KIC (Slovenia)
Forbes Italian Excellence Tour
AlgaEurope (Prague)
Biomarine (Biarritz 2024)
BlueInvest 2024
These platforms have brought Algae Scope into direct dialogue with innovators, investors, and industries - helping to shape not just our next steps, but the direction of a whole sector in transition.
Industry use cases
Testing with various partners, including Fincantieri and Testori for cruise ship cabin interiors, various European and Japanese manufacturers for performance apparel/technical textiles, and ENI Joule for seaweed yield and bioproduct valorisation (see our last blog for further details), enables us to deepen R&D, expand testing capabilities, and continue building a product that’s not only novel but market-ready.
By providing a PFAS replacement to industries at a time when they need it most, we are helping them to remove PFAS at the source (preventing further re-contamination), improving public and environmental health, and meeting EU regulations, ESG targets, and UN SDGs. Aligned with circular economy principles, using regenerative seaweed as a reliable biomass that's not a limited resource, supports ocean health through carbon capture, water remediation, and biodiversity improvement.
The People Behind the Product
At the heart of Algae Scope is a small, focused team with significant cross-disciplinary expertise in materials science, process engineering, blue economy, defossilisation, and sustainable transformation across various industries. Together, we ensure that Algae Scope's bio-coating is guided by rigorous scientific data and with a clear commercial lens.
What Comes Next
As we prepare to launch our next round of fundraising to accelerate product development and scale production, we’re interested in making new industry collaborations to continue testing and refining the biocoating.
To find out more or explore partnership or investment opportunities, we'd love to hear from you. Please get in touch via any member of our team:
Natasha Yamamura (CEO) natasha.yamamura@algae-scope.com
Alejandra Noren (COO) alejandra.noren@algae-scope.com
Dr Farshid Pahlevani (Chief Scientist) farshid.pahlevani@algae-scope.com
Fiona McOmish (Business Manager) fiona.mcomish@algae-scope.com
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