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EcoPHA Biotech & Terra Sol win Energy & Renewables at the InnovationAus Awards signalling a new era for commercial PHA innovation

Terra Sol Studio

Key Facts:

• EcoPHA Biotech and Terra Sol Studio won the Energy & Renewables Award at the 2025 InnovationAus Awards for their development of marine biodegradable PHA biomaterials
• The partnership combines EcoPHA's scientific innovation in PHA biopolymers with Terra Sol's design expertise to create commercially viable products
• Their PHA materials can be used across multiple applications including textiles, packaging, consumer goods, and biomedical materials
• The collaboration has created one of Australia's first end-to-end PHA commercialisation pipelines, ready for immediate industry adoption
• Following their award win, the companies plan to expand into the US, Europe, China, Singapore and APAC markets in 2026

Sydney, Australia, 27 November 2025

EcoPHA Biotech and Terra Sol Studio have won the Energy & Renewables Award at the 2025 InnovationAus Awards for Excellence, recognising their pioneering commercial development of next-generation PHA biomaterials. These materials are certified marine biodegradable and microplastic free and offer real, scalable solutions to plastic pollution across multiple industries.

This national honour positions Terra Sol and EcoPHA as one of Australia’s most significant climate-tech collaborations and one of the few globally transforming PHA scientific breakthroughs into ready-to-scale commercial products.

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A rare partnership turning science into real-world impact

While most PHA initiatives remain in research or pilot phases, Terra Sol and EcoPHA’s partnership is uniquely commercial. The collaboration combines
• EcoPHA’s scientific innovation in producing high-performance PHA biopolymers
• Terra Sol’s design and market expertise that transforms those materials into desirable, functional, commercial products

Together, they have created one of Australia’s first end-to-end PHA commercialisation pipelines. The result is an Australian-made, export-ready supply chain that can support immediate industry adoption across packaging, retail, hospitality, events and consumer goods.

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Beyond packaging: expanding PHA into fashion, manufacturing and advanced material applications

EcoPHA’s PHA platform extends far beyond packaging. With versatility and a natural biodegradation profile, PHA can be engineered into
• biodegradable fibres, threads and textiles
• buttons, trims, clasps, buckles and garment components
• flexible films, wraps and protective coatings
• rigid components for consumer goods and accessories
• moulded parts for lifestyle products, electronics casings and hardware
• biodegradable foams, sheets and thermoformed items
• future biomedical materials, currently under early-stage research exploration

This opens entirely new categories for Terra Sol and EcoPHA including fashion, luxury retail, athleisure, accessories, packaging, hospitality and sports. It gives global brands a premium, genuinely biodegradable material that returns safely to nature without microplastics.

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Founder Quote: Louise Sykes, Terra Sol Studio

“The momentum around PHA has been incredible. The excitement, the questions, the possibilities, it is unlike anything I have experienced. Every conversation feels like a doorway to a new idea, a new partnership, a new application we had not even imagined yet. You can feel that this material is going to change industries, and being part of those early conversations has been the most inspiring part of this journey.”

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Global expansion: United States, Europe, China, Singapore and APAC markets

Following their InnovationAus win, Terra Sol and EcoPHA are advancing an ambitious global expansion strategy with plans to enter the United States, Europe, China, Singapore and broader Asia-Pacific markets in 2026.

Key sectors include
• cafés and hospitality groups
• luxury fashion and retail
• universities, stadiums and major venues
• sustainability-focused global events
• premium consumer goods and lifestyle brands

The partnership continues gaining momentum, strengthened by Terra Sol CEO Louise Sykes being selected as a Future Innovator finalist with her feature appearing in the December issue of Vogue Magazine. Further recognition includes the MB100, the Steve Irwin Gala and alignment with the Brisbane 2032 sustainability agenda.

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Quote from EcoPHA Founder, Dr Wilson Ling

“We are deeply honoured to receive the Energy and Renewables Award at the 2025 InnovationAus Awards. This recognition means a great deal to our team at EcoPHA Biotech and to our partners at Terra Sol. It reminds us that the journey to develop truly next-generation bioplastics, a journey that began as a simple dream to reduce plastic waste and protect our planet, is moving in the right direction.

Our mission has always been clear. We aim to create PHA materials that return safely to nature, leaving no microplastics and no long-term harm. This award reinforces our belief that science, design and collaboration together can change the world.

We sincerely thank InnovationAus, UNSW and everyone who has supported us. Today’s achievement belongs to many people including our researchers, designers, partners, universities, government supporters and everyone who shares the same dream for a cleaner, more sustainable future.”

About us:

About Terra Sol Studio

Terra Sol Studio is an Australian design-led sustainable packaging studio known for transforming renewable materials into beautiful, commercial products. Terra Sol is recognised for its world-first innovations in PHA design, limited-edition collections and a strong global expansion roadmap across the United States, Europe, Asia-Pacific and the Middle East.

About EcoPHA Biotech

EcoPHA Biotech is an Australian biotechnology company developing marine biodegradable, microplastic free PHA materials through natural fermentation processes. EcoPHA’s technology enables a new generation of renewable, environmentally safe materials for packaging, consumer goods, textiles, apparel components, moulded parts, films and early-stage biomedical exploration.

Contact details:

louise@terrasolstudio