Gym goers in London will be the first to try out a new vending machine dispensing edible capsules of Lucozade Sport, thanks to a UK Government-backed innovation project between Lucozade Ribena Suntory (LRS) and sustainable packaging firm Notpla.
The 30ml capsules, called Oohos, are made entirely from seaweed extract. They create a way to deliver Lucozade Sport in a plastic-free form that is edible and reportedly biodegradable within four to six weeks.
Funding from the UK Government’s innovation agency, Innovate UK, was secured by Notpla in partnership with Lucozade Ribena Suntory. The grant is supporting LRS’s aim of creating a machine that can manufacture and dispense up to 3,000 Oohos a day, bringing “instant hydration” in a plastic-free format to gyms for the first time. LRS hopes that this trial will allow it to better understand the potential for future use of these machines, using feedback from attendees for further research.
According to LRS, its partnership with Notpla aligns with its commitment to eliminate virgin, fossil-fuel-based plastic from the business by 2030. This commitment on plastics forms part of the company’s “Growing for Good vision”, which has seen the company focus on recycled and recyclable plastics since Ribena reportedly became the first soft drinks brand to use 100% recycled plastic in 2007.
Jo Padwick, Business Transformation Manager at Lucozade Ribena Suntory, comments: “Our ambition is to develop the most sustainable packaging possible, going above and beyond to achieve our “Growing for Good” vision. Our collaboration with Notpla to develop more uses for Oohos is just one example of how we’re working to achieve our commitment to eliminate virgin, fossil-fuel-based plastic in the next 10 years.”
90,000 Oohos will be handed out at the 2020 London Marathon alone, with more being provided to race participants at events across the UK.
