Notpla has completed a £20 million (€23,924,400) Series A+ fundraising round – doubling its initial target – and plans to replace over 100 million units of single-use plastics annually, scaling its seaweed-based packaging in the United States.
Notpla was awarded the Earthshot Prize in 2022, receiving £1 million (€1,196,635) to invest in new machinery and expand its injection moulding technology. The Dutch government also declared the company’s packaging to be ‘plastic-free’ in line with the EU’s Single-Use Plastics Directive, made of natural polymers derived from seaweed and free of chemical modifications.
Notpla claims to have replaced over 16 million single-use plastic items across ten markets in Europe, with brands like Lucozade and Decathlon utilizing Ooho, described as a biobased, edible bubble designed for plastic-free hydration.
The company also seeks to replace the ‘problematic’ plastic, bioplastic, and chemical grease barriers used in conventional takeaway food packaging. Its seaweed-lined papers solutions are currently used in leading stadiums and venues like the O2 Arena, Allianz Stadium, and the grounds of football teams Aston Villa FC and Tottenham Hotspur; as well as by major corporations, including Compass Group and Just Eat Takeaway.
Additionally, a home-compostable ice cream spoon has been added to Notpla’s portfolio this year; it is currently available at scale.
Now its newest capital injection is believed to signify a vote of confidence in Notpla’s business model and growth strategy. It intends to use its new funding to increase its impact and, within the next two years, replace over 100 million single-use plastic items every year.
“Our investors recognize the commercial potential of our technology and our unique solutions,” said Pierre Paslier, co-founder and co-founder of Notpla. “This funding allows us to accelerate our growth and continue leading the market in sustainable innovation.
“This investment is more than just financial support; it’s a validation of the growing demand from consumers around the world for real solutions to the plastic problem.”
“Our goal has always been to create products and materials that can make a real difference,” added co-founder and co-CEO Rodrigo Garcia Gonzalez. “From our early days producing Ooho in our kitchen, to seeing runners consume them in their thousands at the London Marathon, all the way through to today where we’re making millions of real, credible packaging solutions for industries – it’s just huge.
“This investment brings us one step closer to a world where truly plastic-free packaging is the standard, not the exception.”
In similar news, Kelpi’s recent funding round exceeded its £3 million target and raised £4.3 million (€5,047,856). The funds are set to replace single-use plastics derived from fossil fuels by applying seaweed-based barrier coatings to food, drink, cosmetics, and personal care packaging made of paper and card.
Unilever, the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), and EY have also founded the CIRCLE project, an innovation fund set to support entrepreneurs and small businesses across the plastics value chain and scale solutions that reduce plastic use, tackle plastic waste, and build circular economies. It takes a particular focus on women, who are said to make up the majority of waste collectors working in the informal sector in the global south.
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