ECOPHA Biotech is proud to announce that our collaborative project with Terra Sol Studio has received the Energy & Renewables Award at the 2025 InnovationAus Awards for Excellence.
This recognition highlights our shared commitment to replacing single-use plastics with fully biodegradable bioplastics that break down completely without leaving microplastics in the environment.
Award Recognition
- Award: Energy & Renewables Award
- Event: 2025 InnovationAus Awards for Excellence
- Partnership: Terra Sol Studio (Sydney) + ECOPHA Biotech (Victoria)
- Focus: Replacing single-use plastics with bioplastics that fully break down without microplastics
About the InnovationAus Awards
The InnovationAus Awards for Excellence celebrate leading Australian innovators across emerging technologies, sustainability, and advanced manufacturing. The 2025 awards showcased the strength of Australia’s deep-tech and clean technology ecosystem, featuring breakthrough work across multiple sectors.
NSW Innovators Recognised
Alongside this award category, several NSW-based companies and Tech Central ecosystem members were recognised as winners and nominees, including:
- Q-CTRL – Defence & Dual-Use Technology Award (quantum-assured navigation)
- Deteqt – diamond-based quantum sensors
- NSW Space Machines Company
- Loop Hydrometallurgy – cleaner method of producing critical elements
- Allegro Energy – water-based energy storage
- Rux Energy – safe and efficient hydrogen storage
Why This Matters
Our partnership with Terra Sol Studio focuses on developing commercially viable bioplastic alternatives that support circular economy principles, improve marine safety, and strengthen long-term environmental protection.
This award recognition reinforces ECOPHA’s mission to scale sustainable materials that meet real-world performance needs while reducing environmental impact.
Thanks & Acknowledgements
We extend our sincere thanks to Investment NSW for supporting innovation through the Fostering Innovation Sponsorship Program, and to the InnovationAus Awards team for celebrating Australian entrepreneurship and clean technology leadership.
Congratulations to all winners and nominees for their groundbreaking achievements.
Source credit: Tech Central Sydney (LinkedIn announcement on the 2025 InnovationAus Awards for Excellence).
EcoPHA & Terra Sol win 2025 InnovationAus Energy & Renewables Award
Recognised for breakthrough PHA from pongamia oil
The award celebrates EcoPHA’s marine- and soil-degradable PHA bioplastic made from pongamia oil – a non-edible, renewable feedstock – which is engineered to break down completely without leaving microplastics in the environment.[1][2]
This technology directly targets the global plastic waste and microplastics challenge, offering a compostable alternative to traditional fossil-based plastics in everyday products such as packaging and food-service items.[1][2]
Design-led products with Terra Sol
Through a design-led collaboration, Terra Sol transforms EcoPHA’s material into high-performance consumer products – including takeaway cups, utensils and packaging – that feel familiar to use while being biodegradable by design.[1]
The judges highlighted this partnership as a powerful example of how advanced biotechnology and ambitious product design can come together to deliver scalable alternatives to single-use plastics at commercial level.[1]
Scaling a new generation of bioplastics
EcoPHA’s PHA platform, produced from pongamia oil, is designed for marine and soil degradability and supports a broad family of applications in packaging, food-service and other consumer products.[2][3]
- Non-edible pongamia oil feedstock that does not compete with food production.
- Fully biodegradable PHA that can break down in natural environments without persistent microplastics.
- Potential to support lower carbon footprints compared with conventional plastics.
This recognition at the InnovationAus Awards further strengthens EcoPHA’s position as a leader in next-generation bioplastics and supports the mission to replace single-use plastics with truly sustainable, high-performance materials.[1][2]
Read the full InnovationAus coverage
To read the original article on the InnovationAus website, visit:
EcoPHA and Terra Sol awarded for breakthrough bioplastic – InnovationAus.
[1] InnovationAus: “EcoPHA and Terra Sol awarded for breakthrough bioplastic”, 27 November 2025.
[2] EcoPHA & Ecopha Bioplastics public materials describing PHA from pongamia oil and marine/soil-degradable properties.
[3] External coverage of EcoPHA’s world-first PHA from pongamia oil and related applications.