A Wiltshire firm has won a £35,000 innovation grant to make new portable and waterproof speakers using recycled plastic waste from the sea.

Product designer and Red Dot design award winner Aaron Oxenham came up with the idea for his sustainable audio products to enable music lovers to listen to their favourite tracks while on the move.

He decided to branch out on his own two years ago after working for an audio company in Dorset.

He has just been awarded a £35,000 grant for transformative technologies by Innovate UK to help create a UK-based supply chain and produce prototype tooling to develop some of the parts for his products.

Mr Oxenham, 31, who co-founded POCA audio with his partner Mariana Cardenas, 31, from Venezuela, said: “I have a background in audio and I love music.

“I quit my job as a product designer almost two years ago as I believe that electronic products should last longer. Just because one component has stopped working shouldn't mean chucking it out and buying new.

“I came up with an idea for a new portable speaker design which is being made from sustainable materials such as Cornwall-made recycled plastics reclaimed from the ocean.

“Their speaker will have swappable batteries while still being fully waterproof to a depth of three feet.

“We began in October 2021 and are headquartered in Bradford on Avon. We plan to build long-lasting products using materials we are proud of.

“Our first product, the PINE speaker, is a portable speaker that is high-quality, user-friendly and does not conform to the current model of planned obsolescence.

“We want our speaker to be robust enough to be dropped in the ocean and still allow customers the opportunity to easily replace the battery, as this is normally the first component to give up on electronic products.

“Our products will be made from lightweight, super strong aluminium, ocean-waste recycled plastic made in the UK, reclaimed silicone, and 100 per cent natural, biodegradable rubber.

“The big tech brands are fighting the Right-to-Repair movement by citing that consumer safety stops them making more repairable products. We aim to counter this.”

POCA audio plans to launch a campaign on the Kickstarter crowdfunding platform on Tuesday, October 3 to help bring the PINE speaker to life.

Mr Oxenham says the company hopes to produce 1,000 items with the funds raised from the appeal, which will run for 30 days.

To support their campaign, click here.