What inspired you to focus on sustainable materials and create Shellworks?
Shellworks wasn’t intended to be a startup, my co-founder Amir and I actually met in a Masters in London at the Royal College of Art and Imperial College. We were fascinated by natural materials and so did a 3 month project experimenting with shellfish waste and extracting biopolymers. The name is actually from those early days working with shells.
However, the further we got into it, we discovered Vivomer, a microbial polymer, and that’s when bit became clearer it became that we could actually solve this huge, meaningful problem.
Before that, I'd spent years at Apple working on the Apple Watch launch - building things at absolutely massive scale, which I loved. But there was this growing feeling that kept nagging at me: could I use these same skills for something that felt more meaningful? When we started seeing what was possible with sustainable materials, I realized I couldn't imagine a better thing to dedicate myself to.
What daily habits or rituals help you stay creative and focused in your work?
The biggest one has been quiet time in the morning. Even 30 minutes to myself before the chaos of the day floods in gives me space to breathe and structure my thoughts. It’s genuinely changed the rhythm of everything that follows. I also try whenever I can to run home from work. Combining my commute with a run means I can sneak it in without it feeling like another thing and I arrive home lighter - both physically and mentally.
Can you share a project or moment that made you feel most proud of the impact you are creating?
Honestly, the moments that have made me feel most proud are when I see our products out in the world. For example, when I bought our first body lotion at the FKAH store made with Vivomer or now buying a Wild deodorant from Tesco or a Sam Mcknight hair oil from Sephora. Knowing that these solutions, which were originally developed in a lab are now something people use everyday and it will return safely to nature instead of sitting in our environment for centuries.
When we first started people told us these milestones were fundamentally unachievable, and being able to see that we’ve made is possible is hugely motivating.
How do you recharge or find inspiration to continue innovating new sustainable packaging products?
Nature, honestly. Every solution we need is already in nature if we just look closely enough. That's not just philosophical - it's literally how our material works. We're using bacteria that have evolved for millions of years and exist in soil and marine environments to make our solutions in harmony with the environment.
I also find energy in our team’s mastery and resilience. We’ve had several setbacks, for example a fire in 2021 that destroyed our operations, or a 10,000 unit order that we had to manufacture ourselves because our manufacturer pulled out. The very moments that could have killed us, became our team’s most creative. There's something energizing about being around people who refuse to accept that things can't change.
Vivomer, the material we are using for our mouthwash packaging, is versatile and home-compostable. How did you approach designing a material that is both functional and environmentally responsible?
Our philosophy from day one was: no compromises. I learned at Apple you don’t have to sacrifice quality for scale, and at Shellworks we refuse to believe that sustainability has to mean sacrificing performance or aesthetics. It’s incredibly hard to do and we’re still on the journey but Vivomer in the future will simply be the best solution.
With Vivomer, we're using a fermentation process where naturally occurring microorganisms transform plant matter into plastic-like materials. Once you're done with it, bacteria in soil or water literally perceive it as food and break it down - within about 12-18 months. No microplastics, nothing harmful left behind.
But the material science is only half the story. We obsess over every detail: the weight, the tactile feel, the matte versus glossy finishes. The mouthwash packaging we’ve built together isn’t just home compostable, it's a meticulously designed product that feels premium in your hand. We want people to choose Vivomer because it's beautiful and performs brilliantly, not because they're making a sacrifice for the environment.
What are the biggest challenges in replacing conventional plastics with materials like Vivomer, and how is Shellworks addressing them?
Scale. Petrochemical plastics have had decades of infrastructure, subsidies, and optimization. They operate on a magnitude of trillions of units, while we are at the millions. The real challenge is ensuring we can manufacture it at industrial volumes while meeting the performance and cost standards that brands expect.
Partnering with brands like yourselves is where that change happens, as we can scale our production, grow together, enabling Vivomer to be the future new standard.
With our mouthwash launch, we want packaging that is beautiful, functional, and good for the planet.
What advice would you give to brands looking to make sustainability effortless for their customers?
Don't make your customers think about it. Do the hard work for them by vetting their packaging and formulations to address your customer concerns around microplastics or environmental waste. The packaging should just work, and when they're done with it, the end-of-life should be easy. With Vivomer, you literally just compost it at home or pop it in your general bin.
Secondly, design does come first. If it doesn’t feel good in somebody’s hand or look beautiful on the shelf, they won’t choose it in the first place. Make something people actually want, then the sustainability part becomes effortless.
Looking ahead, what innovations or trends in sustainable materials excite you the most?
Honestly, the cultural shift excites me most. Consumers are getting smarter, brands are getting braver. We're moving away from plastic being the default assumption.
The fact that brands like yours are launching with sustainability built in from day one, not as an afterthought - that's what gives me hope.