Notpla plant-based packaging is helping the world plastic problem

Notpla is a packaging solutions company. They’re not just using recycled cardboard or eliminating plastic foam. They’re redesigning the very idea of what packaging is and how it functions. As a result, the innovative products rolling off the line at the company are plant based and waste free. That’s a solution like no other. 

At its core, Notpla is a seaweed-based film that replaces plastic. Because it’s plant based and all natural, it’s completely biodegradable. Unlike bio-based plastics that claim to be compostable but actually have to be specially processed at the industrial level, Notpla products naturally break down in a few weeks. 

Related: Single-use food packaging waste nearly doubled during the pandemic

The company’s claim is, “We make packaging disappear.”

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For example, they’ve developed a way to encapsulate condiments in a durable way without plastic or mixed materials. It’s a solution for the restaurant business and was created with the takeout industry in mind. Once you’ve squeezed your ketchup out, the packets can be tossed into the compost alongside vegetable peels, apple cores and other food where it will disappear in about a month.

Another product called Ooho can hold liquids such as water or juice in a dissolvable pod. In fact, the food-safe product is edible and has been used at sporting events, like the London Marathon, where runners can pop in hydration without a cup. Ooho can also be filled with premixed alcoholic beverages for a fun party spin without a single-use Solo cup in sight.

Notpla coating is another much-needed solution for the restaurant industry. The problem up to now has been providing a protective coating for to-go containers that will keep grease from seeping into the packaging. Few to-go containers can be recycled because they are either made from plastic film or the food soils the paper. Notpla coating addresses the problem with a plant-based coating made from seaweed that protects the food, the paper surface and the environment by naturally biodegrading. 

The company has also developed a bio-based plastic film to replace the plastic wrap in residential and commercial kitchens. Instead of causing plastic waste, Notpla films can be used for a variety of dry products — and then disappear.

For example, Notpla film can hold a pound of pasta, then be dropped directly into boiling water along with the noodles where it disintegrates. Notpla film is a solution for everything from individual coffee sachets to packaging for clothing. They offer both hot water and cold water soluble solutions. It’s time to think outside the box, tin can and especially plastic packaging with Notpla solutions.

+ Notpla 

Images via Notpla