New, edible, plastic-free packaging capsules made from seaweed called “Ooho” have been helping rehydrate marathon runners this year in a bid to cut down on plastic waste. The clever edible liquid capsules were developed by Skipping Rocks Lab, an innovative sustainable packaging startup founded by Imperial alumni Pierre Paslier and Rodrigo Garcia.

The sachets are made by manufacturing firm Notpla and can be used for drinks under 100ml. It can be eaten, composted or disposed of in normal household bins. Once discarded, they take about six weeks to decompose.

Companies such as Lucozade Ribena Suntory have been trying them out with more than 36,000 Lucozade Sport Oohos getting sampled at the 2019 Virgin Media London Marathon. Overall, the firm trialed Oohos filled with Lucozade Sport drinks and gels at four sporting events since September 2018. A survey at the event found that 82% of those who tried Oohos filled with Lucozade Sport found them “appealing” or “very appealing”.

Lucozade Ribena Suntory’s director of external affairs and sustainability, Michelle Norman, said:

Oohos offer Lucozade Ribena Suntory a completely new and innovative way to deliver on-the-go servings of Lucozade Sport to consumers. With Government backing, we are excited to see how Oohos can be rolled out and made more widely available.

Other companies to trial the Ooho’s include Just Eat and the Vita Mojo restaurant. Just Eat had trialed the sachets with its restaurant partner, The Fat Pizza, in Southend for six weeks and the trial went so well it has since been expanded to 10 London restaurants following “excellent feedback”.

Just Eat also wants to try using the sachets for condiments. It sells more than 11 billion plastic ketchup and garlic and herb dip packets globally every year across its network of 29,000 UK restaurant partners.

Skipping Rocks Lab has even received government funding of over £300,000 to help boost daily manufacturing outputs as well as help them create a machine that could be installed at gyms or restaurants. The device would enable customers to buy liquid-filled capsules by operating like an on-the-go coffee machine. The team has already developed an industrial machine to produce Oohos that will be able to produce 100 Oohos in five to ten minutes.

The Natural Environment Research Council for UK Research and Innovation’s executive chair Professor Duncan Wingham said:

The funding of this project along with other programmes, will help establish the UK as a leading innovator in smart and sustainable plastic packaging solutions, delivering cleaner growth across the supply chain, with a dramatic reduction in plastic waste entering the environment by 2025.

Lise Honsinger, the Chief Financial Officer of Skipping Rocks, said she hopes “we will be in a world in a year’s time when we just don’t use water bottles anymore.” The Imperial start-up wants to provide something that allows customers to easily make positive choices and tackle the abundance of plastic bottles which are one of the most common items of litter found in the sea. They believe that changing the way we package our drinks is fundamental for the protection of the environment.