Innocent Drinks is distributing ginger shots in Notpla’s edible, biodegradable packaging pods made from seaweed, replacing the traditional plastic bottle.
The trial is taking place in the hamlet of Nobottle in Northamptonshire, England, and features Notpla’s plastic-free ‘Ooho pod’ – a biodegradable seaweed pod that consumers can place directly into their mouths and swallow.
Residents were invited to try the product before it was taken to a nearby city to be tested by the wider public. A survey of 321 consumers revealed that 78% would buy the pods if they were available in stores today.
“At Notpla, we believe nature has already given us the materials we need to rethink packaging,” said Notpla co-founder and co-CEO Pierre Paslier. “Our natural packaging range, including our Ooho pods, use seaweed to create a compostable, edible alternatives to single-use plastics, designed to disappear without leaving waste behind.
“Working with great brands like Innocent gives us an exciting opportunity to explore how it could work for everyday moments, sustainably. It feels particularly fitting to be starting that journey in a place called Nobottle!”
“Where better to pilot a product with no bottle than… Nobottle?” continued Andy Wallis, packaging lead at Innocent Drinks. “This is about seeing how this new technology can be used, not just in our ginger shots but our other drinks and smoothies, too.”
“It's so interesting that you don't have to bin this packaging; you just swallow it!” commented author and environmentalist Dominique Palmer, who attended the pilot. “The future needs innovative ideas like this, and imagination about how they can be used.
“I am excited to see alternatives to plastic pollution being explored, so I'm looking forward to seeing everyone else's reactions to the pilot, and where it goes next.”
“I’m honoured Nobottle got to try this no bottle innovation,” added composer, songwriter, music producer and Nobottle resident Steve Anderson. “It’s a great idea and I’m looking forward to seeing how it ends up coming to the mass market. We don’t have a shop in Nobottle but if we did, I’d hope they’d stock it.”
To commemorate the pilot, Innocent placed a sign made from seaweed on the local noticeboard, and built a temporary, recyclable village sign in Nobottle.
The news comes after Notpla announced earlier this year that it would roll out seaweed-based packaging across Imperial College London’s catering operations. The scheme is part of the university’s broader Sustainable Imperial initiative and Sustainable Food and Drink Policy 2026-2031.
In another development, Noriware recently closed a €4.3M seed round in a bid to scale its seaweed-based transparent film, Norifresh. Co-founder and CEO Jessica Farda spoke to Packaging Europe about the solution’s origin story, key functionalities, and potential to scale.
