Seaweed-based biopackaging: sustainable, compostable, circular, and edible

PT Seaweedtama Biopac Indonesia

2021

PRIZE

  • Virtuous Cycles Award
  • The Amber Price
  • PACKAGING IMPACT Prize
Contents

Video

Description

Biopac is an Indonesian SME that uses proprietary technology to manufacture seaweed-based bio-packaging. We aim to tackle plastic waste pollution and climate change due to CO2 emission. Using seaweed is our strategy to obtain truly biodegradable, even more, edible packaging without posing a risk in deforestation or food crisis. This strategy also enables us to participate in improving the livelihood of seaweed farmers communities. We need them to cultivate seaweed to naturally transform CO2 (the pollutant) into biopolymer (the packaging material). We have to ensure that they are well-being and enjoy cultivating seaweed.

Story

Biopac is an Indonesian SME that uses proprietary technology to manufacture seaweed-based bio-packaging. We aim to tackle plastic waste pollution and climate change due to CO2 emission. Using seaweed is our strategy to obtain truly biodegradable, even more, edible packaging without posing a risk in deforestation or food crisis. This strategy also enables us to participate in improving the livelihood of seaweed farmers communities. We need them to cultivate seaweed to naturally transform CO2 (the pollutant) into biopolymer (the packaging material). We have to ensure that they are well-being and enjoy cultivating seaweed.

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Judge’s Comments

Guillaume Charny-Brunet

SPACE 10 Co-founder & Director of Strategy

Virtuous Cycles Award

The idea itself of seaweed packaging is not the most innovative or creative, but the project stands out because on it's simultaneous impact on communities, and environment. The business potential and viability of the products and operations in unclear. I would like to better understand the unicity of the product (compared to https://www.notpla.com for example), and characteristics of the material, including compatility with wet food, or industrial packaging regulations, durability (vs. biodegradability), necessary hygiene treatment, natural coloring possibility and the potential for more industry-ready production, etc. Seaweed is a super carbon sequestrator, fast growing organism, found in all oceans. More than circularity the exemplarity of the project is around the making of a truly regenerative business. The biggest challenge could be around finding the right processing levers to scale up and offer the packaging industry with a real alternative.

Richard Ekkebus

Culinary Director at The Landmark Mandarin Oriental, Hong Kong

The Amber Price

I am familiar with this company and the product and even have samples. Like trees that draw in CO2 from the air, seaweed draws in CO2 from the ocean. This sequestering of ocean carbon is critically important for a healthy marine ecosystem. It is known that coastal ecosystems like mangroves, seaweeds and seagrasses are known for storing carbon. Often called ‘blue carbon’ ecosystems, they can take up to 20 times more CO2 per acre than forests on land. The ocean draws in about 30% of the atmosphere’s CO2, therefore seaweed plays an important role in absorbing carbon, further is seaweed delicious and full of umami (one of my favourite ingredients to work with), seaweed farming has no negative impact on its environment, seaweed grows fast, and this project shows that we use seaweed to make packaging. The versatility of seaweed seems to be endless.

Kalaya Kovidvisith

FabCafe Bangkok Co-founder

PACKAGING IMPACT Prize

Single-use food and drink packaging are 82% of plastic waste and filling up our oceans. With the rise of the pandemic and food delivery, Seaweed-based biopackaging is here to save the world with carbon sequestration, inexpensive price, harmless to environment and sustainable in mass scale.

Winners