Reducing single use plastic-aluminium packaging for <50ml sachets through development and scale up of the Ooho seaweed sachet

"**AMBITION:** Our aim is to reduce and replace the use of single use packaging for liquids, sauces and gel sachets through the development, scale up and roll-out of our natural, fully biodegradable plastic alternative technology Ooho- a unique, patented, seaweed-derived membrane material.

**FOCUS:** Having perfected the strength, structure and shelf-life of our membrane technology in 2017, we now need to develop the advanced production hardware and machinery to manufacture and fill single-use sachets on an industrial scale in order to meet demand -- replacing current laminated aluminium and plastic packaging for condiments (sauces, salad dressings), gels (energy gels) and cosmetics (shampoo, conditioner) up to 50mL.

Our alginate material has the potential to be as cheap as plastic and aluminium at scale as input material however difficulties in the manufacturing process, requiring significant human intervention, restrict our maximum production capacity to 300 Oohos/day - meaning that despite strong commercial interest, we are unable to meet the volume demanded by restaurants, take aways and retailers in a cost-competitive manner.

As part of our long-term growth strategy, our goal is to develop an method (hardware and production process) to manufacture Oohos, packaging range of single-use liquids on an industrial scale, in a consistent, high quality, low cost manner required by both suppliers (Heinz, Unilever, Lucozade) and customers (Just Eat, Selfridges,Sky).

**APPROACH:** Working with partner, Just Eat the project focuses on overcoming the technical difficulties associated with designing and developing a unique, automated, machine to manufacture and fill 3000 Oohos sachets/day with a variety of condiments/sauces, without compromising structural integrity or consistence of the packaging membrane.

Our alginate packaging is naturally sourced, biodegradable, robust (thanks to the previous IUK project) and is even edible. The only issue holding back its adoption is our ability manufacture and fill the membrane on an industrial scale.

**SIGNIFICANCE:** The UK throws away over 300m plastic and aluminium single-use sachets (2ml-50ml) each year (Unilever;2017), with less than 9% ever recycled (National Geographic;2017). due to their disposable nature and plastic-aluminium composition.

In line with UKGOVs 'Plastic Pact' 2025 commitment, by developing manufacturing at scale capability, seaweed membrane will be cost-competitive with that of plastic/aluminium sachets and packaging, enabling retailers to adopt out technology for single-use liquid items. This in turn will save considerable CO2 in waste, reduced transport costs, plastic production and enable us to take advantage of global interest in the technology, spearheading the use of natural, plastic alternatives."