This Earth Day, we're highlighting the remarkable journey of our seaweed-based biodegradable food containers and how they complete a circular lifecycle from ocean to earth, or what we like to call from "sea to soil."

It's a true story of regeneration and innovation: seaweed-based biodegradable food containers that begin in the sea and naturally disappear back into our soil. No microplastics. No landfill. Just plastic-free food packaging that works in harmony with nature and not against it.

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The Power of Seaweed: Nature's Solution for Plastic-Free Food Packaging

Before land plants ever existed, seaweed was already thriving in our oceans. It's been here for over 1.6 billion years, growing at remarkable rates (up to 50cm per day) and playing a powerful role in carbon sequestration, making it the perfect resource for creating sustainable biodegradable food containers.

Earlier this year, our co-founder Pierre journeyed through the kelp forests of South Africa to visit the raw material at the heart of our plastic-free food packaging.

Why do we specifically choose seaweed for our biodegradable food containers?

• It grows up to 50cm a day - Faster than bamboo. No fertiliser. No freshwater. No land.
• Seaweed has been on Earth for over 1.6 billion years. That’s 450 million years before land plants showed up. It’s truly the OG.
• It doesn’t just grow - it regenerates. Seaweed captures carbon, feeds ecosystems, and restores oceans.
• Some seaweed species are more different from each other than mushrooms are from elephants. Over 12,000 species discovered. Around 1 million still to be found.
• You’ve probably eaten it without knowing. Seaweed is already in your toothpaste, ice cream, and even your beer.

We harness this regenerative resource to create plastic-free food packaging that truly disappears - not just in theory, but in practice.

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A Spotlight on Soil: The Natural End of Biodegradable Takeaway Food Containers

If seaweed represents the beginning of our plastic-free story, then soil marks its natural conclusion.

Soil stores more carbon than the atmosphere. It filters our water, grows our food, and sustains biodiversity. Yet it faces constant threats from erosion, degradation, and the ongoing crisis of conventional plastic waste from food service packaging.

Seaweed and soil have a longstanding relationship. For centuries, farmers have applied seaweed to enrich land and nourish crops. Now, our biodegradable food containers continue this tradition in a modern context.

Unlike traditional containers that leave behind pollution or microplastics, Notpla's plastic-free food packaging breaks down completely in soil, nourishing and replenishing it rather than harming it.

This is what genuine circularity looks like with truly biodegradable food containers.

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Earth Day at Notpla HQ: Showcasing Plastic-Free Food Packaging in Action

To celebrate this journey, we're hosting an Earth Day celebration at our East London HQ, bringing together the Notpla team, local partners, and industry changemakers interested in plastic-free food packaging solutions.

Here's what we have planned:

• Sustainable food served in our biodegradable food containers by Crate Brewery x Silo
• Low-carbon Amaze & Gooseberry beer 
• Live demonstrations of our plastic-free food packaging solutions, the Ooho moment
• The unveiling of our brand-new Notpla planter, where guests can see how our biodegradable takeaway food containers transform into soil - by literally planting a box!

It's our way of demonstrating the complete Sea to Soil journey. A community-focused celebration that showcases the real-world benefits of plastic-free food packaging.

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Sea to Soil: Revolutionising Food Service with Biodegradable Takeaway Food Containers

This Earth Day, we're shining a light on practical climate action through plastic-free food packaging, something we embody from the materials we source to how we celebrate.

By pioneering seaweed-based biodegradable food containers, we're demonstrating that a better food packaging system is possible and it's already here and readily available at scale.

From sea to soil, let's create a future where plastic-free food packaging disappears naturally, just as nature intended.

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Read more about our plastic-free food packaging