This year’s UK national James Dyson Award winner is 23-year-old Lucy Hughes from the University of Sussex. MarinaTex, the fish-based plastic alternative created by UK designer Lucy Hughes, has been awarded this year’s international James Dyson Award.
Hughes had previously won the awards’ UK national prize back in September, then earning her a £2,000 prize to further develop the material. With this latest achievement, MarinaTex has earned its inventor £30,000, as well as £5,000 for the University of Sussex, Hughes’ alma mater.
Lucy attempts to solve the problem of both single-use plastics and inefficient waste streams by harnessing fish offcuts to create a unique plastic alternative, MarinaTex.
MarinaTex is a bioplastic made of organic fish waste ordinarily destined for landfill or incineration and locally sourced red algae. It is a translucent and flexible sheet material, making it ideal for applications in single-use packaging.
A video filmed in Newhaven, highlighting our marine biodiversity shares details about the production of MarinaTex and Lucy’s thoughts on the need for this incredible idea. Watch the full video below.
