Single-use plastics are destroying our ocean and land ecosystems, with 8 million metric tons of plastic added to the ocean every year (Source: NOAA). At the same time, more microplastics are being absorbed into the food chain with harmful health outcomes. Plastic is also very carbon intensive to produce, emitting GHGs at every step in the production and consumption cycle, from cradle to grave. It’s time to move away from plastic and particularly single-use plastics, in our food system and beyond. The challenge to-date has been the performance, in functionality and price, of alternatives, and supportive regulatory frameworks to incentivise transition.
Europe had been a leader in supporting this transition.
With its team of material scientists, mechanical engineers and designers, Notpla has created a seaweed-based packaging material which can replace single-use plastics in a variety of formats. Created from brown seaweed, the material is biodegradable, renewable, microplastics-free and even edible. Brown seaweed itself can grow up to 1m per day, does not compete with food crops for resources, does not rely on fresh water or fertilizer to grow, actively contributes to de-acidifying the oceans and naturally captures CO2. Notpla’s material is highly functional and can be used for sauce sachets, liners for disposable takeaway food boxes, and films to replace flexible plastic bags. The company develops both the materials and the machinery to manufacture these items at scale.
With the positive impacts generated during both the production and disposal of its products, Notpla aligns with Astanor’s vision for unpolluted, naturally sustainable ocean ecosystems.
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