This report provides an excellent insight into the global market for UPR, with a detailed breakdown of end uses of UPR for both FRP and non-FRP.

"This approach marries the efficiency of a highly productive, fast-growing, photosynthetic plant (sugarcane) with the efficiency of a highly productive, fast-growing, oil-producing microbe to make a very precise type of oil," said Checkerspot.

After mixing the two components users must cast the material within 15 minutes and the tack time is approximately eight hours.

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Microalgal oil is obtained from large industrial facilities, many of which are located in southern Brazil, where after mass fermentation, algae is mixed with sugars and then water is subtracted to produce the oil.

Global consumption of unsaturated polyester resin (UPR) will maintain a positive average annual growth rate during 2022–27; UPR for fiber-reinforced (FRPs) plastics accounts for nearly two-thirds of total consumption. Fiber-reinforced plastics are used in construction, marine, automotive, consumer goods and industrial products.

The Pollinator Kit is a direct-to-designer kit that allows producers to experiment with algae-based materials designed to replace traditional polyurethane resin – a fossil fuel-derived product found in many household items.

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Using biotechnology, Checkerspot has been able to create a production method that harvests the oil from algae to create "renewable building blocks" for use in product design.

"Manufacturers of raw materials can often overlook these small but powerful groups, opting instead to bring their materials to market via well-known consumer brands."

Other designers working on testing the material and process include Waves Not Plastic, a non-profit organization in California.

"This strategy pigeonholes renewables, limits the scope of how they can be used and consequently narrows the impact they can have."

Rebeccah Pailes-Friedman, founder of Interwoven Design Group, told Dezeen that her studio has experimented with using the product for prototypes.

One of the characteristics of the UPR industry is that a small number of UPR producers control a large market share in North America, Europe and Japan. On the other hand, many large producers operate in mainland China, with 40-50 companies producing UPR at more than 70 sites.

S&P Global’s Chemical Economics Handbook – Polyester Resins, Unsaturated has been compiled using primary interviews with key suppliers, organizations and leading representatives from the industry in combination with S&P Global’s unparalleled access to upstream and downstream market intelligence, expert insights into industry dynamics, trade and economics.

S&P Global’s Chemical Economics Handbook – Polyester Resins, Unsaturated is the comprehensive and trusted guide for anyone seeking information on this industry. This latest report details global and regional information, including

According to the company, the material has a biomaterial content of 56 per cent and can be used in the same moulds used in fossil-based products. The rest of the mixture is made from fossil-derived isocyanate.

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Before the release of the kits, Checkerspot launched a brand called WNDR Alpine that creates skis from a similar algae-based process.

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The major driver of consumption for UPR is the construction industry, in which UPR is used mainly for bathroom components and fixtures, corrosion-resistant tanks, pipes and ducts, cultured marble, and panels for floors and walls.

"Access to the Pollinator Kit has provided our team at Waves Not Plastic with bio-based materials that have a beginning of life cycle consistent with our mission to reduce the world's reliance on petrochemicals," said founder Jeff Lenore.

California materials company Checkerspot has launched a casting kit named Pollinator Kit that allows designers to experiment with making components from algae-based plastics.

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Other novel uses for algae include the limestone composites created from the material by researchers at the University of Colorado.

In 2022, the largest consuming region was Asia, followed by Europe and North America; mainland China was the largest consuming market.

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"The upshot is a lower land footprint, a far lower water footprint, and a low carbon use relative to other ways of making oil."

Checkerspot said that the kits were designed both for designers already using polyurethanes at scale as well as novices who want to begin working with resins.

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"By 3D printing a mold and then casting it in urethane we can see the part, test its durability and function and make any adjustments in the design before sending a part out for vacuum casting or injection molding," said Pailes-Friedman.

It can be used for making small and medium-sized products from jewellery and phone cases to surfboards and furniture and includes resin, a mixer as well as a choice of pigment, which is also made from algae.

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"Historically, product designers, hobbyists, and artists have been limited by the materials available to them from commodity-based suppliers," said Checkerspot founder Charles Dimmler