The seaweed-powered packaging revolution | The Royal Society

This event is part of the Royal Society's Summer Science Exhibition 2024.

Imagine packaging that not only avoids harming the planet but actually nourishes it. This vision is now a reality with revolutionary seaweed-based solutions, urgently needed to replace single-use plastics.

In this talk, Dr. Erinc Bahcegul of Notpla, a trailblazing London startup, will reveal seaweed as a perfect, endlessly renewable resource for sustainable packaging. Using cutting-edge technology, Notpla transforms seaweed into an array of home-compostable products: takeaway boxes, food containers, packaging films, sachets, edible liquid containers, cutlery, caps, and more.

These groundbreaking innovations propel us toward a greener future, proving we can solve the plastic crisis with nature’s incredible materials.

Dr. Erinc Bahcegul is the research team lead at Notpla, the London-based startup that won the 2022 Earthshot Prize for its revolutionary seaweed-based packaging solutions. With expertise in chemical engineering and biotechnology, he transforms seaweed into sustainable packaging, scaling innovations from the lab to industrial production.

His work focuses on extracting, processing, and testing natural polymers from renewable resources like agricultural waste. By adopting a biorefinery approach, Erinc converts renewable materials into diverse, eco-friendly products - driving Notpla's mission to replace single-use plastics and promote a sustainable future.

The Royal Society is a Fellowship of many of the world's most eminent scientists and is the oldest scientific academy in continuous existence.

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