Notpla, a producer of seaweed-based packaging materials, recently completed a €23 million Series A+ fundraising round – doubling its initial target. The company plans to use this money to scale its operations in the United States, with the goal of replacing over 100 million units of single-use plastic annually. We recently spoke with the company to learn more about this news – plus its recent “plastic-free” certification from the Dutch Government.
Some of our readers might not have come across Notpla yet, so I think it’d be useful to start with some background. Please could you talk a bit about the company and its core packaging solutions – what are they made from, and what are their sustainability attributes?
Of course! Notpla is a sustainable packaging company based in London. There are around 60 of us working here now and we’ve been lucky enough to receive some amazing endorsements over the years, including Prince William’s Earthshot Prize.
When we were founded back in 2014, our Founders (Pierre and Rodrigo) set their sights on a mission that continues to drive us all today - to eliminate plastic waste from single-use packaging. At its core, Notpla creates innovative packaging solutions derived from seaweed.
We work to make sure that our products and materials can offer a direct, drop-in replacement for existing plastic, or bioplastic products, making it possible for brands and manufacturers alike to switch from synthetic materials to natural ones.
Our most well-recognised product is our edible bubbles of liquid - we call them ‘Ooho’ after the reaction people give upon first seeing and eating them. This is essentially a proof of concept - that you can use seaweed extracts to mimic plastic - and has been the key to unlocking a number of other replacements for single-use plastics.
To date, we’ve replaced over 16 million items on the market with Notpla materials, most notably in our fully commercialised seaweed-coated food packaging. This growing range offers a replacement for the PFAS, PLA or other synthetic materials used in existing packaging, bringing with it a distinct advantage - it can be disposed of guilt-free.
Certified as home-compostable, it breaks down naturally without leaving any microplastics or harmful residues, even in the unfortunate instance that it isn’t disposed of properly and gets into the environment.
Beyond food packaging, we’ve developed a range of other solutions, from edible seaweed film for salad wraps to rigid cutlery items and even a seaweed paper that makes use of any waste materials from our processes.
The common theme in all of these solutions is that they’re 100% natural - in most cases edible - offering an alternative to traditional plastics and bioplastics and a viable step toward a circular economy.
It’s been a busy few years for Notpla – first with the Earthshot prize win, then with the “plastic-free” certification from the Dutch Government. Please could you unpack these developments for us?
Absolutely. Winning the Earthshot Prize in 2022 was game-changing for us – not just because of the financial boost, but because of the validation and global visibility it provided. It put the problem of plastic pollution on a global stage and gave us the support needed to accelerate our impact.
It helped us to create invaluable connections in industry but also give consumers something positive to latch on to - finally, a simple message that was finally free from greenwashing!
Following this win, one of the single-most important moments for us has been in securing confirmation from the Dutch Government that our food packaging coating is “plastic-free” under the European Union’s Single-use Plastic Directive.
Still to this date, of the hundreds - if not thousands - of other coating materials that were tested (many of which brand themselves as ‘plastic-free’), still not one other material has been found to fit the definition - that is to be made from a natural polymer and have not been chemically modified.
This verification is crucial as it confirms our commitment to transparency and ensures that our products truly meet the rigorous standards of plastic-free packaging.
It also reinforces trust among consumers and brands looking for genuinely sustainable solutions, as this process is among the strictest in Europe. These developments have laid a strong foundation for us as we continue expanding our reach and scale our solutions globally.
The latest bit of news from Notpla concerns the successful closing of a major fundraising round, with the ultimate goal of scaling the company’s solutions in the US. Could you tell us more about this?
Yes, this Series A+ fundraise has been a real milestone in Notpla’s journey… As well as exploring new partnerships and responding to huge demand from the US, we’re already working with some of the US arms of our committed European partners, looking to mirror the success we’ve had here in major stadiums, for example.
This naturally means we must take steps toward extending our manufacturing facilities to meet this demand - it’s not sustainable for us to ship product across the Atlantic.
In addition to this US market expansion of our existing products and solutions, we’re focussed on enhancing research and development as it’s crucial that we can continue innovating and delivering the next generation of sustainable packaging solutions at scale. This means solving even more of those most tricky plastic conundrums that our partners want help with.
The support from investors shows a growing recognition that our solutions aren’t just desirable but essential in the drive to reduce plastic waste. Ultimately, this funding round will help us make our seaweed-based products more widely accessible, bridging the gap between sustainable innovations like Notpla and the ever-growing demand for natural packaging solutions across various industries.
To date we have replaced over 16 million single-use plastic items with our seaweed-based alternatives (the equivalent of removing 30 tonnes of plastic) with the vast majority of this occurring since 2023; such is the rate of our recent scaling up. In terms of carbon emissions, this means Notpla has been responsible for avoiding 900 tonnes of Co2e, the same as around 570 round-trip flights between London and New York.
Our goal is to continue this momentum and with this latest fundraise and growth into the US, we expect to replace 1 billion units of single-use plastic by 2030, significantly reducing plastic waste and its associated environmental impacts.
What do you think it will take to successfully scale the company’s solutions in the US? What are the key differences between successfully launching a product like this in the US vs doing so in the EU?
Yes, there are definitely some unique challenges for us in the US market and - as we mentioned - establishing local production and developing those existing partnerships is vital. The demand for sustainable packaging in the US is growing, notably on the East Coast, and the scale of the opportunity is of course vast.
In the EU, regulatory frameworks and consumer awareness around sustainable practices are generally a bit more advanced, creating a fairly supportive environment for innovations like ours. In contrast, the US market brings varying levels of regulation and sustainability focus across states. Building awareness and education around the benefits of seaweed-based packaging will be essential.
5. What are your reflections on the PPWR – especially the parts that relate to single-use packaging?
The European Commission’s proposed Packaging and Packaging Waste Regulation (PPWR) marks a hugely decisive step towards reducing the environmental impact of packaging which we at Notpla are fully supportive of.
Particularly, as you say, with regard to the single-use plastic packaging bans slated for 2030 - the phased ban covers various categories, from unprocessed fresh produce packaging to miniature toiletries and airport suitcase shrink-wrap. It also extends to individual portions of sauces and condiments – areas where Notpla’s solutions can offer direct, sustainable alternatives.
In addition to tackling single-use plastics, the PPWR’s ban on PFAS in food-contact packaging is a very welcome move. Notpla’s takeaway food packaging, being naturally derived and with no chemical modification, shows that we already have real, fully-scaled solutions to these forever chemicals additives.
We strongly believe this focus on PFAS is not only environmentally necessary but also critical for public health, with many terrible health conditions proven to be associated with PFAS build-up in our bodies.
Although it looks likely to take at least another 12 months for these measures to be implemented, this timeframe more than allows for companies to adapt to non-harmful solutions like Notpla. This framework creates a more sustainable landscape for packaging, providing a clear path forward for companies to adopt new solutions and for consumers to make informed, environmentally friendly choices.
Ultimately, the PPWR is a positive step toward a circular economy and will be instrumental in driving further innovation in sustainable packaging – an area that Notpla is fully committed to leading.
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