How Li Ka-shing backed start-up Notpla plans to replace plastic with a sustainable seaweed alternative
- Packaging material made from seaweed and plants takes four to six weeks to become biodegradable
- London-based Notpla was awarded the Earthshot Prize, set up by Prince William, in the ‘build a waste-free world’ category on December 2
Li Ka-shing-backed start-up Notpla, the latest winner of the prestigious Earthshot Prize, is on a mission to replace plastic packaging with a sustainable alternative made from seaweed to tackle pollution.
The start-up, co-founded by Pierre Paslier and Rodrigo Garcia Gonzalez in a student kitchen in London in 2014, has created products made of seaweed and plants. The biodegrading process for the material takes four to six weeks and does not require composting or other special conditions.
“Microorganisms and worms, fish, all sorts of life forms can easily process this seaweed into basic nutrients,” said Paslier, who is also the co-CEO, adding that the packaging will never create long-lasting waste.
“Some of the seaweed that we use grows up to a metre per day, it’s one of the fastest growing organisms on the planet. It’s very renewable,” he added.
Plastic pollution is one of the most pressing issues facing the world. Single-use plastics such as bottles can take up to 500 years to biodegrade in the ocean, according to estimates from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, an American scientific and regulatory agency.
