Notpla
Notpla
🏭 England
What we like about Notpla: Their materials are made from brown seaweed, a very efficient, renewable resource. They manufacture edible films, biodegradable coatings for food cartons, and paper for collateral or folding cartons.
Seaweed Sachets
Edible, home compostable, and food-safe, with options that are soluble in hot or cold water.
-
They look and feel like plastic film, but made from seaweed.
-
Notpla are made entirely from seaweed with out any fossil fuel based additives. This not only makes them biodegradable, but removes reliance on fossil fuels.
Notpla films can be composted or dissolve in water.
-
Notpla films can be composted or dissolve in water. Home compostability certification:
OK HOME COMPOSTABLE
-
Bioplastics look and feel like traditional plastic. Proper disposal information should be an important part of the design so that they don't end up in the wrong waste stream. Let customers know if they should recycle or compost the plastic.
It's good to let customers know that if they can't compost it, that the plastic should be reused or thrown in with the trash. Tossing bioplastic in with recycling just adds an extra step on the way to landfill.
You could consider a takeback program. If you can work with an industrial composter that accepts bioplastic, you can bulk compost your packaging on behalf of customers.
Seaweed Paper and Cartons
Home compostable, in various thicknesses
-
An interesting, textured feel that doesn’t affect print quality. Unique speckles throughout.
-
Seaweed is a very efficient, renewable crop. According to Notpla, it requires 30% less recycled wood pulp.
This seaweed paper is recyclable and compostable.
-
Seaweed paper can be recycled or composted with standard paper.
-
Printed designs will take on the finish of the paper. Consider a design that will work in harmony, or on top of the speckled finish.
Seaweed coatings
-
The coating is clear, though it’s unclear what kind of texture it has.
-
It’s unclear if Notpla’s coating is compostable, but it is biodegradable. Unlike many mainstream food service, coatings, it doesn’t require industrial composting and it won’t leave behind microplastics after it degrades.
-
Notpla says that their coating biodegrades “in nature” in 4-6 weeks. It’s unclear how it performs in the anaerobic environment of a landfill or in waterways, but they say that it does not leave behind micro plastics so theoretically, it shouldn’t do harm to a compost pile.
-
Consider adding design instructions that consider the Notpla coating and the material it’s printed on.
Poly Bags & Films
Trays & Inserts
Paper Mailers
Cushioning
Jars & Bottles
Corrugated
Folding Cartons
Food Service
Inks & Coatings
Raw Materials
Labels
Specialty Papers
