A photo showing Kelpi's bio-based coating against white tiles. There are two white rectangles with 'kelpi' in black letters and a green seaweed graphic repeating across the white.
The Sustainability Awards are almost here – and finalist Kelpi is nominated in the Start-Up New Materials category for its recyclable, biodegradable coating made from seaweed. We asked the company a few questions to find out more about this entry.
You’re a finalist in the Sustainability Awards 2026. Congratulations! To start off, could you summarize your entry in less than 50 words?
Nature’s answer to plastic: 100% bio-based coating derived from seaweed, Kelpi’s recyclable and biodegradable high-barrier solution performs like fossil fuel-based plastic, without the environmental harm.
Why do you think the judges were impressed with your entry? Tell us about what is innovative about your project and its impact on packaging sustainability.
Our material is the first high-barrier coating in the market for paper-based packaging that is 100% bio based, home recyclable and biodegradable, whilst still achieving exceptional barrier performance.
The significance of the product lies in delivering plastic-like functionality without relying on fossil fuel-derived feedstocks or creating persistent toxins at end of life. Our solution is completely unique to anything else in the market currently, and we believe this is what impressed the judges.
Finally, can you tell us about the ongoing development of your project, such as how your innovation/initiative has been received by the industry, or what the next steps are in commercialization/product development?
Our material has been engineered and validated for real-world use in the fibre-based packaging supply chain which we are now proving with our first clients in the market, demonstrating that providing consumers with packaging that can go straight into their home recycling bin without needing to separate any layers is needed and wanted to avoid the packaging ending up in landfill.
Our partnerships with global FMCGs and packaging partners such as L’Oreal and Amcor further endorse our material’s ability to revolutionize the world of packaging. The next step for Kelpi is to achieve food contact approval (FDA expected imminently, EFSA in 2027), widening our market reach beyond our initial home care and personal care, to the food & drinks industry.
The winners of this year’s Sustainability Awards are due to be announced on the 11th November at the Sustainable Packaging Summit, taking place from the 10th-12th November in Utrecht, Netherlands. The Summit mobilizes leaders of the FMCG value chain, policymakers, NGOs, recyclers and investors to collaborate, remove barriers and identify opportunities on the road to sustainable transformation.
