Notpla

Ooho edible sachets / Source: Notpla

CompostableDissolvableEdibleEuropeFlexibleFood & BeverageFood GradeLightweightMicrowave SafeMoisture BarrierNotplaOil ResistantPackagingSealableSeaweedTransparentWater Soluble

WHAT WE SAY:

Everyone has heard of Notpla’s Ooho edible sachets by now. Squishy balls made from seaweed that are filled with water and can be consumed in one go. They took the London Marathon by storm in 2019, but what has happened since?

Much to our delight Notpla is using its seaweed material - now called Notpla - in far more practical ways. From a flexible plastic film replacement, to a cardboard box coating for Just Eat, the company’s patented seaweed substance can help limit the impact of even our most disposable items. Scalability is still a question, but with one of the largest takeaway platforms in the world under its belt, we are adamant that this is only the beginning for Notpla’s compostable, adaptable and truly plastic-free membrane.

Notpla

WHAT IS NOTPLA?

Notpla is a nutrient material designed to disappear without leaving a trace, much like fruit peel. Made from a proprietary blend of dried, brown Seaweed powder, plant material and a ‘secret recipe’ of additives, Notpla is a non-chemically modified, polysaccharide-based material, and can be both a gooey, plastic-like substance, a flexible film and a coating.
The Notpla coating, currently being trialled by Just Eat, is designed to replace grease-resistant and waterproof plastic and bioplastic films that are used to enhance paper food service containers. The company offers microwaveable, Notpla-coated, customisable takeaway boxes in bulk and in two sizes. 200 Kraft No.1 units cost GBP 46 (USD 55). The company plans to make coated boards that makers can buy and convert.
The coating itself is biodegradable in nature and takes between four and six weeks to break down. When the coated box ends up in nature, it is also said to degrade, but timelines will depend on where the paperboard ends up.
Notpla Films are a replacement for single-use flexible plastic film and combine the seaweed and plant material with mineral extracts. Suitable for packaging dry products or liquids with a low water content (max 5-15%), the difference with Notpla films is that they do not have to be thrown away at all.
The hot water soluble film is designed to be dissolved in hot water at the point of use - think coffee sachets that disappear into the coffee. It can also be used as secondary packaging, for example to replace plastic polybags for garments. A cold water soluble film is available to expand product use and both can be home composted. Notpla Film is between 50 and 75 microns thick.
The company also creates Notpla Paper, made from the waste from the seaweed extraction process.
Notpla sachets explore the possibilities of encapsulation and are squishy sachets of seaweed material that are designed to house sauces, condiments and salad dressings. With sizes ranging from 10-60 millilitres, they were created with the takeaway industry in mind.
Notpla Pipettes are similar, but shaped like a pipette to more easily dispense oil. They have a shelf-life of two years. Both can be snipped or bitten open, are technically edible and OK Home Compostable-certified. These sachet replacements are not yet available at scale and have to be produced at the point of use - ie. the fast food restaurant - reducing their practicality for rapid adoption.

KEY PROPERTIES:

Compostable
Dissolvable
Edible
Flexible
Food Grade
Lightweight
Microwave Safe
Moisture Barrier
Oil Resistant
Sealable
Transparent
Water Soluble

INDUSTRY:

Food & Beverage
Packaging

AVAILABILITY:

Limited Orders

DIVE DEEPER:

The takeaway industry is huge. There is no denying we enjoy the convenience of food delivery - Just Eat grew 37% year-over-year in 2021 - but the impact of this sometimes weekly ritual can’t be ignored. Most takeaway packaging is plastic, from polystyrene to polypropylene and the majority of it ends up in the bin. There are only so many we can keep for reuse.
Finding a different way to package our much-loved deliveries is vital for reducing our combined impact. Notpla’s use of seaweed has the potential to not only eliminate pesky sachets and pots of condiments that come with all takeaways, whether we ask for them or not, but also make paper cartons work harder without the need for plastic liners.
The company chose to work with seaweed for a number of reasons. Firstly, it is highly renewable and can grow up to one metre in a day. Critical for maintaining the ocean’s biodiversity, it can be harvested without killing the plant, does not compete with food crops and does not need water or fertiliser to grow. It also plays a huge role in capturing and sequestering carbon from the atmosphere.
Notpla works with European seaweed suppliers at present and is focusing its efforts on local, UK-based seaweed farms, such as Car-Y-Mor in Wales. The company’s choice of localised production is enabled by the region’s growing seaweed farming industry, as well as the abundance of 600 different species of seaweed present on its coastlines, a win for future scalability.
To enable the adoption of Notpla into existing production premises, the company has created bespoke manufacturing machines (the size of a standard vending machine) that can be leased to businesses, who want to produce sachets on site.
Availability of Notpla’s products varies. The Ooho is available in the UK and for big events in Europe, with a minimum order quantity of 5,000 units. The seaweed paper and Notpla Pipettes are only available in the UK at present, with plans for European expansion in 2022. Notpla Films are still in development, but are slated to launch as reels for use in 2022.
The company is working on new properties for its Notpla Film material, notably the addition of sweet and spicy flavours that can transform the seaweed from a neutral addition in meals, to a key ingredient. It is also experimenting with food waste feedstocks.
Key Notpla partnerships include Lucozade, Just Eat and the London Marathon.
In 2022, Notpla won The Earthshot Prize in the Build A Waste-Free World category.

Just Eat x Notpla takeaway boxes / Source: Notpla

Brown seaweed / Source: Notpla

KEY FACTS:

600

There are 600 different species of seaweed along the UK coastline.

2 years

Notpla sachets have a shelf-life of two years.

Key Questions to Ask:

What are the undisclosed additives in the material and could they be harmful to the environment?

Notpla’s recipe is understandably secret, but it’s imperative to determine if, and how, the additives used impact the environment. Notpla is both PFA and microplastic-free, a double win in our eyes, but while the material is natural and breaks back down naturally, it needs to be determined if Notpla actually supports, rather than hinders, soil health.

Are you willing to wait?

Notpla is not scaleable. At least not yet. While Ooho’s can be used for major events, they are not going to replace single-use plastic bottles in retail anytime soon. The best bet for scalability is the films and the coating, both of which are in early or pre-use stage. Due to the abundance and renewability of seaweed, both have the potential to scale quickly, but any brand wanting to be first to market must be patient.

Can the company back up its claims?

Other than the sachets being certified home compostable, other claims made by Notpla are not certified. While certification is not foolproof, the additional lack of in-house or third-party verified data points, as obtained through an LCA, may leave consumers questioning the company’s statements. While the company may be working on addressing these blind spots, anyone using Notpla should either work with them, or independently, to verify the benefits and drawbacks of the material. Consumers want transparency and data helps provide this.