The global mussel industry produces approximately 2.3 million tonnes of mussels every year, yet thousands of tonnes of byssus are discarded annually.

Byssus is already grown naturally by mussels, removed during industrial processing and concentrated at source. Despite the resources invested in producing and separating it, this protein-rich natural fibre has little established commercial value and is disposed of in landfill.

A VALUABLE NATURAL MATERIAL DISAPPEARS FROM THE ECONOMY.

Byssus is a naturally engineered, protein-rich fibre produced by mussels to anchor themselves within demanding marine environments. Once mussels reach processing facilities, these fibres are mechanically removed as an inedible by-product and are commonly discarded.

This means a biological resource that has already been naturally produced, harvested, transported and separated disappears from productive use before its material value has been realised.

Recovering byssus represents an opportunity to keep an existing natural resource in circulation rather than continuously relying on newly produced virgin materials.

THE MUSSEL INDUSTRY CREATES THE RESOURCE BUT CAPTURES LITTLE OF ITS POTENTIAL VALUE.

More than 10,000 predominantly low-margin enterprises operate within the global mussel industry, employing over 50,000 mussel farmers and supporting more than 200,000 livelihoods, particularly within coastal communities.

These businesses face high labour and operating costs, unpredictable conditions at sea and increasing climate-related pressures. Yet a material they already produce as part of every harvest currently generates little economic return.

Byssus therefore represents more than a by-product challenge. It represents lost value within the economics of mussel production.

ONE INDUSTRY DISCARDS, WHILE OTHERS CONSUMES VIRGIN MATERIALS.

While byssus is discarded, industries around the world continue to manufacture materials and ingredients from virgin, petroleum-based and other resource-intensive feedstocks.

Byssus possesses physical and chemical characteristics that create opportunities across multiple high-value markets. Processed into natural fibres, milled fibres and powders, it can become a feedstock for applications spanning construction, cosmetics, advanced materials and other emerging markets.

Every tonne of byssus that remains outside productive use therefore represents not only a missed opportunity for the mussel industry, but continued demand for conventional resources that this natural feedstock could potentially displace.

Seastex is pioneering the industrial-scale recovery and valorisation of mussel byssus.

Through our proprietary Byssus Tech, we have developed the technologies and processes required to handle the unique characteristics of this previously difficult-to-process material and transform it into consistent, high-value natural feedstocks.

Our model connects three previously disconnected parts of the value chain: mussel producers with an overlooked resource, proprietary technology capable of processing it, and industries looking for new natural materials and ingredients

CAPTURE BYSSUS WHERE IT IS ALREADY CONCENTRATED.

Byssus is mechanically removed during industrial mussel processing, creating an unusual opportunity to recover a biological resource without establishing an entirely new harvesting system Seastex works with mussel farmers and processors to capture this existing by-product at source and introduce it into a dedicated circular value chain.

As Seastex expands, our ambition is to establish regional supply and processing networks across major mussel-producing regions, allowing byssus to be recovered close to where it is generated while creating additional economic activity within coastal communities.

Instead of becoming waste, the end of mussel processing becomes the beginning of a new material supply chain.

TECHNOLOGY DEVELOPED SPECIFICALLY FOR BYSSUS.

Conventional textile recycling technologies were not designed to process the unique characteristics of mussel byssus. Seastex has therefore developed Byssus Tech, a new generation of proprietary recycling machinery and processing methods specifically designed around the characteristics of this unique marine fibre.

Our technology cleans and processes recovered byssus into different natural feedstock formats, including fibres, milled fibres and powders, allowing one waste stream to serve multiple downstream industries.

With a proprietary TRL7 process and operational pilot facility, Seastex has progressed beyond laboratory-scale valorisation towards an industrial platform designed for replication.

ONE NATURAL RESOURCE. MULTIPLE HIGH-VALUE MARKETS.

Recycling only creates lasting impact when the recovered material has somewhere valuable to go. Seastex therefore develops markets alongside its processing technology, connecting byssus feedstocks with applications across cosmetics, construction, advanced materials and other emerging sectors.

Rather than depending on a single product or industry, different byssus feedstock formats create multiple commercial pathways from the same resource. This increases the potential value of each tonne recovered while reducing dependence on any one downstream market.

As demand grows, Seastex aims to connect regional Byssus Tech processing hubs with high-value global markets, creating the economic incentive required for byssus recovery to become a permanent part of the mussel industry's value chain.

Our ambition is to make byssus too valuable to waste.