Pioneering Sustainable Packaging with Seaweed

This is a guest article by Hoa Doan, Head of Impact and Sustainability at Notpla

At Notpla, we're on a mission to make packaging disappear by creating innovative solutions from seaweed and plants. The looming environmental threat of plastic to our planet is undeniable, with fourteen million tonnes of plastic entering our oceans each year and over 90% of plastic pollution coming from single-use items. To tackle this, Notpla has developed a range of plastic-free packaging products derived from seaweed and plants. As a testament to our innovation and mission, Notpla was selected as one of the winners of the world's most prestigious environmental award, The Earthshot Prize, in 2022. Over the last three years, we have replaced 7.3 million units of single-use plastic with Notpla products.

In addition, we have recently gained FSC certification (FSC®C185078) for our packaging products containing wood-based fiber materials. The motivation to become FSC certified stems from our commitment to using responsibly sourced materials throughout our supply chain. As a rapidly growing company offering a substitute to plastic, it was essential for us to ensure any forest-based fiber came from well-managed sources. Gaining FSC Chain of Custody certification allows us to credibly label our paper packaging as FSC certified.  

Our flagship FSC certified product is the Notpla box, a seaweed-lined paper box used for food packaging and delivery. The outer paper exterior is FSC certified, while the inner lining is made from our seaweed coating that naturally biodegrades. In addition, we also received FSC certification for our Notpla Paper range, a new material that enables future-focused creatives and brands to challenge the status quo. A by-product from seaweed processing, formerly considered waste, gives Notpla Paper its unique veining and sensory quality while closing the loop on the seaweed industry.