London-based startup Notpla unveils fully degradable seaweed packaging 
UK startup Notpla showed fully degradable and edible packaging. The company presented a prototype of capsules for tea and coffee made from seaweed – they dissolve in the drink and add useful properties to it, writes Fast Company.
The researchers were prompted to create a new packaging by data on the dangers of ordinary tea bags, which can be isolated in hot water up to 11 billion microplastic particles and up to three billion nanoparticles. Then scientists developed a film of algae – when brewed, it dissolves and enriches the liquid with fiber and antioxidants. This does not change the taste of the drink – after processing, the plants do not have a specific smell.
Notpla suggests using such packaging not only for coffee or tea – the material can be used for instant noodles and cereals, as well as for food on hikes. Algae film can also replace water-polluting PVA plastic in washing capsules or dishwasher tablets. In addition, the new material can be used to pack goods upon delivery, and a soluble capsule with washing gel can be attached to clothes purchased from an online store.
Organic alternatives to plastic have been found by researchers from around the world. At the end of November, it became known that scientists from Spain had created a biomaterial for packaging from tomato peels, Swedish researchers had produced an analogue of plastic from wood, and Chinese biologists from salmon semen.