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LONDON: A British startup founded by former students from France and Spain that makes biodegradable packaging from marine plants is aiming for royal approval this week when Prince William unveils his latest Earthshot Awards.
Notpla – whose motto is “We Make Packaging Disappear” – is competing with 14 other companies for five prestigious awards, which are set to be scooped up by Prince and a star-studded cast at a gala in Boston on Friday.
In its second year, the Initiative to Reward Innovative Efforts to Combat Climate Change will then be broadcast on UK and US TV on Sundays and Mondays respectively, as well as online.
The five winners will receive a £1 million ($1.2 million) scholarship.
The co-author of Notpla, which instead of using environmentally harmful plastics, makes many of the naturally degrading — and even edible — packaging out of seaweed and other marine plants, says they’ve already felt the benefits of competition.
“Our mere presence greatly enhances our visibility,” French founder Pierre Paslier, 35, told AFP.
“It’s already a huge asset to be part of the finalists and I think if we win it will be on a much larger scale.”
Together with former fellow Royal College of Art student and co-founder Rodrigo Garcia Gonzalez, 38, the duo began their environmental business adventure in a small London kitchen.
They were intent on finding natural alternatives to petrochemical-based packaging, and sampled a variety of materials from tapioca seeds to other starches.
– seaweed family –
“In the end, we found seaweed,” explained Basler, a former packaging engineer for French cosmetics giant L’Oréal who created Notpla with Gonzalez in 2014.
“Now we have flexible film, we make seaweed paper, we have solids. So it’s really the beginning of a family of seaweed-based technologies that we hope will help us stop using so much plastic.”
He said their early exploits in the kitchen eventually led to the creation of the secretly crafted “Ooho”.
Edible bubble film made from seaweed – holds water, sports drinks or other flavored liquids including cocktails and sauces – marketed as an alternative to single-use plastic cups, bottles and bags.
Tasting like a gummy candy, they can be eaten whole — like a cherry tomato — or from a larger bag, making them ideal at sporting events and festivals.
It has been used extensively in marathons across the UK, including the London 2019 race.
Online viral interest has helped entice investors, with Notpla rapidly expanding to boast more than 60 employees and finding itself on the verge of manufacturing its products on an industrial scale.
“Ooho” is produced at the company’s offices in a large warehouse, a stone’s throw from Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park in East London.
Notpla’s young, growing team also has labs there where it continues to develop new algae-based products.
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