Imagine a world where seaweed replaces plastic.Where packaging disappears—composted, dissolved, or even eaten.
That future isn’t far off… it’s already happening.
In this episode, Janet Kraus and Cleo Carney sit down with Pierre-Yves Paslier, co-founder of Notpla and winner of the UK’s Earthshot Prize, to talk about how seaweed is becoming a real alternative to single-use plastic.
From supplying 36,000 edible water pods at the London Marathon to partnering with brands like IKEA and Wimbledon, Notpla is proving that sustainable packaging can scale.
Pierre shares how he went from designing plastic bottles at L’Oréal to building a company that’s rethinking packaging from the ground up, and why the solution to plastic waste might already exist.
Key Takeaways:
• Seaweed packaging can be composted, dissolved in water, or eaten, and it biodegrades naturally without harming ecosystems
• The hidden plastic lining in takeaway containers is poisoning us with microplastics every time we reheat food
• Consumer demand drives change, telling brands you want plastic-free options creates real market pressure
• Nature offers abundance, not sacrifice: "We don't have to embrace austerity. We have to embrace the natural building blocks we're part of." —Pierre-Yves Paslier
About Pierre Paslier:
Pierre Paslier is co-founder and co-CEO of Notpla, creating seaweed-based alternatives to single-use plastic. After working as a packaging engineer at L'Oréal, Pierre earned a Masters in Innovation Design Engineering from Imperial College London and the Royal College of Art. He and co-founder Rodrigo García González have won the UK's Earthshot Prize and partnered with major brands to deploy plastic-free packaging at scale.
Connect with Notpla:
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/notpla
Website: https://www.notpla.com/
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