Circular Innovation Is Accelerating - Insights From Tech Tour Bio-based Industries 2025

Fiona McOmish
Dec 2
3 min read

The last few months have been busy and intense, not only for Algae Scope, but for the European circular bioeconomy. From pitching at RemTech in September (Ferrara, Italy), to exhibiting at the EU4Algae Awareness Summit in October (Berlin, Germany), and pitching alongside ENI at Ecomondo Green Technology Expo in November (Rimini, Italy), to the recent Tech Tour Bio-based Industries 2025 event in Wuppertal, Germany, one message is now impossible to ignore:

Circular transformation is accelerating, industries are responding, and scalable feedstock-secure solutions are out there!

But how significant is the development in the transition towards PFAS-free solutions? Are we seeing market-ready successes, or is the industry still primarily in an intensive R&D and qualification phase?

We started to get a better insight into some of these questions at the recent Tech Tour event that brought together:

145 participants onsite
45 plus investors and corporates
Algae Scope was delighted to be selected as one of only 38 handpicked startups pitching

**Historische Stadthalle Wuppertal, 13-14 November 2025**

Alejandra Noren, Algae Scope's Chief Operations Officer reflects on the event:

'One of the overarching messages was that circular entrepreneurship is becoming the engine of Europe’s industrial transformation.'

Bio based materials, biomanufacturing, waste valorisation, wood-based innovation, packaging systems and agricultural transitions all served as the practical examples of moving towards a model built on performance, resilience and secure feedstocks.

Algae Scope is contributing directly to that shift with algae-derived products. We transform seaweed into a high-performing solution that replaces PFAS chemicals, delivering PFAS-comparable water- and fire-resistant properties without the toxic legacy.

**Alejandra Noren (COO) presenting Algae Scope's solution**

Circularity has become strategic infrastructure, not sustainability messaging

Across Europe’s sustainability and innovation forums this season, one message has stood out: circularity is shifting from a communication theme to a core driver of industrial competitiveness. As PFAS face stricter EU regulations and a targeted 2030 phase-out, industries urgently need scalable, compliant alternatives that maintain performance. And as supply chains face increasing volatility, industries are recognising that access to stable, renewable feedstock is now strategic infrastructure.

Algae Scope’s technology responds directly to this need by providing:

A renewable, stable, and scalable feedstock that is non-toxic and compostable.
A patented “blue chemical” that is fully bio-based, and drop-in ready - requiring no changes to existing manufacturing infrastructures. Now validated with multiple textile manufacturers, our formula combines dual water-repellent and fire-retardant functionality with industrial scalability and proven performance. This enables companies to shift away from harmful fossil-based chemistry and towards safer, circular, and regenerative production systems.

Demo of fire-resistance after our powder coating has been applied

Demo of water-resistance after material has been coated with Algae Scope's solution

The science exists but there is a question around what is truly scalable

A theme repeated across RemTech, Ecomondo, EU4Algae and Tech Tour is that

Europe does not lack scientific innovation: It lacks commercial scale.

Algae Scope addresses that gap directly with solutions built for:

Cost-competitive scale up
Consistent and resilient production
Future-proof alignment with EU sustainability frameworks

We are entering the market with solutions that are not theoretical or experimental, but commercially relevant, industrially scalable and economically viable now.

Customers do not buy “green” - they buy better

A consistent insight from every event this season: Customers choose performance, reliability and quality above all else. This is why Algae Scope focuses on developing products that deliver:

Functional performance comparable with PFAS-level functionality
Lower resource intensity
Reduced environmental footprint (following Safe and Sustainable by design principles)
Reliable, high-volume supply

Sustainability plays a role, and the added advantage is that our solution is well timed to ensure compliance with emerging PFAS bans - this is the result by default!