Above image: Kelpi’s seaweed coating. Photo courtesy of Kelpi.
Success stories from innovators forging a plastic-free future
Solutions to plastic pollution are heavily dependent on business outcomes: making accessible the materials, technologies, and systems necessary for broad access to alternatives to plastic. Each quarter, Plastic Pollution Coalition (PPC) is reporting exciting news from companies that are leading the way for a transition away from fossil fuels and synthetic materials to a healthier plastic-free future. As PPC members, these businesses are working to bring alternative packaging and products to the mainstream.
In this edition, we’re highlighting a $115 million (USD) accelerator program to develop seaweed packaging technology, growth of a sunscreen brand packaged in aluminum, significant investment for promising biomaterial replacements to plastic packaging, and more!
★ Kelpi selected from nearly 1,000 applicants globally for L’Oréal’s inaugural Sustainable Innovation Accelerator Programme ‘L’AcceleratOR.’
Kelpi was selected as 1 of 13 startups to participate in an accelerator program to develop and scale its regenerative packaging technology from seaweed. In partnership with the University of Cambridge, L’Oréal Groupe’s “L’AcceleratOR” is the company’s flagship sustainable innovation initiative aimed at solving urgent environmental issues. The program will distribute $115 million (USD) and provide expert training, personalised coaching, and access to L’Oréal Groupe and Cambridge Institute for Sustainability Leadership (CISL)’s resources and expertise to support, develop and to launch pilot projects. In Kelpi’s case, these resources will help the company bring its next-generation packaging materials from regenerative sources to market to address plastic pollution in the beauty industry.
★ Shellworks raised $15 million (USD) in Series A funding, the first major round of venture capital financing, led by investment firm Alter Equity to scale plant-based and home-compostable alternatives to rigid plastic packaging.
London-based Shellworks has raised $15 million (USD) to help scale their Vivomer technology to replace fossil-based and heavily-polluting plastic packaging formats across European and American markets. They have proven that their plant-based, home-compostable, and nontoxic material can be produced at cost parity with rigid plastics made from petrochemicals, and is now used by Wild at Tesco and Target, Phil’s at Whole Foods, and Pamela Anderson’s Sonsie Skin Inc., a beauty brand disrupting the industry.
★ Viable Gear has launched a twine made of seaweed that can help reduce plastic pollution from agricultural practices.
Viable Gear has launched a durable twine made from seaweed-based fibers that are marine-degradable and home-compostable, offering a more robust natural alternative to plastic twine and cordage. It’s estimated that 54 thousand metric tons of plastic twine is used and discarded annually in the U.S. A 2024 study on white stork nests showed 91% of these wading birds’ nests have plastic in them, with 42% of those plastics being twines/ropes. Viable Gear’s SeaTwine™ offers a cost-comparative plastic-free replacement for plastic nylon and polypropylene twine that has the potential to reduce plastic pollution from agricultural practices dramatically.
★ Utu has become the best-selling face sunscreen at Erewhon and Credo Beauty.
Focused on reef- and skin- friendly ingredients without the plastic packaging, Utu skincare has become a rapidly growing brand across major chains in the U.S., Europe and Australia. Their sunscreen product line is made almost entirely of aluminum packaging—a major change in an industry that sends billions of plastic tubes to the landfill every year. The company’s growth is promising: since launching their SPF50 Hydrating Balm in 2025, Utu has sold over 25,000 units, breaking sales forecasts by over 70%.
★ Notpla to roll out plastic-free food trays in 160 Dutch restaurants.
Notpla has partnered with Dutch fast-food chain Kwalitaria to roll out seaweed-coated, plastic-free food trays across 160 restaurants in the Netherlands. The trays are home compostable, contain no plastic, and shed no microplastics, offering a safe and scalable alternative to conventional plastic-lined food packaging. Under EU Single-Use Plastics regulations, Notpla’s seaweed-coatings are exempt and considered 100% plastic-free. This partnership marks an important moment in which plastic-free solutions can work at scale without compromising cost, safety, or customer experience. In recent months, Notpla has also begun supplying food packaging items to Imperial College in London, and raised millions in the EU to develop home-compostable coffee cups.
