A London-based sustainable packaging company that makes packaging from seaweed and plant extracts so that it can break down naturally, with a production site and labs in east London.
Notpla is a London company that makes packaging from seaweed and other plants instead of from oil-based plastic. Its first product was Ooho, a small, flexible, edible pouch that holds liquids such as water, sauces or energy drinks. It has since added a natural coating for paper and card, which makes takeaway boxes resistant to grease and liquid without a plastic lining, and it has been working on seaweed-based films to replace small plastic sachets for dry goods such as pasta, coffee or detergent. Its materials are described as home compostable, which means they can break down in an ordinary compost heap rather than needing an industrial plant.
The idea began at Imperial College London. Pierre Paslier and Rodrigo Garcia Gonzalez, who met on a design engineering master's course, made their first Ooho prototypes in a kitchen in 2013, and the company was founded in 2014 (it adopted the name Notpla in 2019). Their idea came from nature: an orange holds juice inside a natural skin, so why not make packaging that works the same way? The company's mantra, as reported by news agencies, is "we make packaging disappear". Mr Paslier has said the goal is to offer the most affordable, sustainable packaging solution once the full lifetime costs are counted. Seaweed was chosen because it grows quickly in the sea, needs no fresh water and does not take up land used to grow food.
Notpla is based in London. A 2022 report said a large warehouse near the Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park in east London houses its production and laboratories, and it also said the company supplied takeaway packaging to Just Eat in Britain and in five other European countries. In January 2026 Imperial College London announced that Notpla's packaging was being used in its campus food and drink outlets, which the university expected to replace more than 450,000 single-use plastic items in a year. Lucozade was an early partner for Ooho at sporting events. In 2022 Notpla was one of 15 finalists for the Earthshot Prize, a global environmental award.
On culture, Mr Paslier has described the team in a Royal Academy of Engineering interview as people who are passionate about changing how the world works and not afraid to do things differently. He also said that growing a start-up means doing many things outside your comfort zone, which gives a feel for a small, hands-on company. A 2022 report put the staff at more than 60 people, an older figure that will have changed. These are the founders' and reporters' descriptions, and we have not checked them independently.
A company like this employs many different kinds of people: materials scientists and chemists who develop the seaweed formulas, engineers who build and run the machines, designers, people who work with food and packaging customers, and the finance, operations and communications staff any growing company needs. If you enjoy chemistry, biology, design or engineering, it is a good example of how those subjects can be used to tackle waste. The company's own website is the best place to check current vacancies and to see how the business has changed since the articles we read were written.
Website: www.notpla.com
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