Hard, rigid plastics dominate the packaging industry and given that only 9% of plastic is ever recycled, most of it is currently sent to landfill, polluting our oceans or incinerated, releasing harmful toxins into the atmosphere. Notpla is changing the game. The renowned seaweed-packaging innovator has added Notpla Rigid to its roster, a primary and secondary packaging material that competes with plastic on strength, variability and mouldability.
But the similarities stop there. Made from seaweed waste and plants, Rigid comes from nature, and is able to go back to it at the end of its life toxin-free. What's more, it can quickly and easily be dissolved in water, then added as a fertiliser to soil. We have a few questions, mainly around its exposure to water and resulting long-term use, but given Notpla's recent Earthshot Prize finalist status, we're sure Rigid is a material to watch.
