Meet the young Wolverhampton entrepreneurs using seaweed to reduce the volume of single-use plastics in healthcare

Olivia Simpson is the founder of SymbioTex, which recently signed a deal with Abingdon Health, a leading international developer, manufacturer and regulatory services provider for rapid diagnostic tests and med-tech, to provide a seaweed-based alternative to plastic to create lateral flow tests (LFTs).

The 24-year-old runs the company with co-founder Dr Mattia Parati from an industrial unit in Fallings Park, Wolverhampton.

Their innovative natural product can be used to create LFTs and other single-use items used in healthcare and other industries and once they’ve reached the end of their life they can be discarded and are completely compostable.

While on a placement in the NHS, Wolverhampton University graduate Olivia witnessed first-hand the vast amount of medical plastic waste generated, with more than 60 million inhalers distributed in the UK each year and only 0.5 per cent ever being recycled.

The experience inspired Olivia to establish SymbioTex in 2021 to develop sustainable alternatives to plastic products.

Together they developed a patented technology which enables manufacturers to switch to a sustainable raw material which can be injection moulded to create compostable medical devices that will break down naturally.

Rather than using plastics, SymbioTex’s material is made from renewable seaweed that sequesters carbon as it grows. Unlike bioplastics, their material is home compostable, creates no harmful by-products when disposed of and does not compete with land used for food crops.

The innovative solution has already achieved significant success, with the company winning a raft of award challenges where entrepreneurs can pitch their products. They won the Verizon and Unloc Young Entrepreneur Challenge 2023 and the London Tech Week Elevating Founders competition in 2023.