UK sports drink company, Lucozade has begun trialling a plastic-free edible alternative to traditional drink packaging. The new edible packaging, known as Ooho, is made from seaweed meaning that the entire product including the packaging can be eaten. If consumers find digesting the packaging too much, then the natural seaweed product can biodegrade in four to six weeks – the same length of time it takes a piece of fruit or vegetable to break down naturally. Materials engineering startup Skipping Rocks produced the edible packaging. September will see Lucozade trial the packaging at the Richmond Marathon, London for the first time, followed by the West Sussex event in late September. Sample sizes of 25ml and 70ml will be given to the hundreds of event participants to gauge the public’s response to plastic-free hydration. The potential for Ooho is vast, as not only an alternative to traditional PET plastic packaging but as a quick and easy, no rubbish hydration option for athletes. “Our sports scientists have told us that during exercise it is better to avoid taking in large amounts of fluid while on the go. By offering both 25ml and 70ml sizes, Ooho gives athletes the ability to drink little and often. Ooho also offers us a hugely exciting opportunity to reduce their impact on the environment, and we’ll use the quality feedback we get from participants to impact our next move.” Skipping Rocks Lab is not only experimenting with seaweed-derived packaging but also other natural plant extracts. The new packaging trial for Lucozade is part of the company’s pledge to eliminate single-use plastics and ensure all future packaging is recyclable and reusable by 2025.
EDIBLE PACKAGING
