Drink your water, eat the packaging
London-based sustainable packaging start-up Skipping Rocks Lab has created flexible packaging made from plants and seaweed.
According to the company, the proprietary packaging is cheaper than plastic and is biodegradable in four to six weeks, which is comparable to a piece of fruit.
Dubbed Ooho, the bioplastic is also edible and can be flavoured and coloured although the packaging is ‘fresh’ and has a shelf-life of “a few days” meaning its applications could be limited.
Despite this, the company says it can be used for other liquids such as soft drinks, spirits and cosmetics.
“The consumption of non-renewable resources for single-use bottles and the amount of waste generated is profoundly unsustainable. [Our] aim is to provide the convenience of plastic bottles while limiting the environmental impact,” it says.
Ooho generates five times less CO₂ and uses nine times less energy compared to PET, it says.
The start-up is part of the Climate KIC start-up acceleration program, founded by the European Institute of Innovation & Technology (EIT).
It is currently supplying the packaging for events only but is in the process of setting up a fully-automated production machine.
© Skipping Rock Labs