Alicja Dzieciol

Peat-free solutions for plant production

From watching forests wither due to climate change in her native Poland to developing sustainable solutions for growers, Dr Alicja Dzieciol’s path led her to found SilviBio in Livingston, Scotland. With over 10 years of experience in biobased materials and biocatalysis research, she’s applying her chemistry background to tackle urgent challenges in plant propagation.

DEFRA’s upcoming ban on peat use by 2030 threatens to cost growers over £600 million in machinery upgrades and poor alternatives. SilviBio’s innovative LatticeGro addresses this with peat-free propagation blocks for lettuce and plant production, enabling growers to meet regulations without major infrastructure investments while supporting British food security.

“I began my entrepreneurship journey to create a truly sustainable future by helping growers sustainably grow more of the food we eat and the trees we plant,” says Alicja.

Her achievements include winning the Vodafone Business Women of the Year Innovation Award 2023, the Famigro Award for Rural Entrepreneurship, and Scottish EDGE’s Net Zero Award at COP 26. She credits early support from CivTech and Forestry and Land Scotland for helping launch her vision.

“It still feels quite surreal. If you told me I would win the Women in Innovation Award when I was setting out, I wouldn’t have believed it possible,” says Alicja.

“I experienced firsthand the disparity in how seriously we were treated when pitching as an all-woman team versus a mixed team,” Alicja reflects on overcoming barriers. “However, I believe we are in the best time ever for women in innovation, thanks to initiatives in Scotland and the UK who work to make entrepreneurship more inclusive.”

Her advice to aspiring women innovators? “Stick to your vision and values. They’ll guide you better than any advice you receive because they’ll lead you to where you want to go rather than where other people want you to go.”

For more information on Women in Innovation

Find out more about the Women in Innovation Award and other support available across the Innovate UK ecosystem on the Women in Innovation programme page.