If you think 2017 hasn't been weird enough, this might just convince you. Skipping Rocks Lab, a London-based company focused on reducing plastic pollution, has just unveiled very real plans for one of the first biodegradable water bottles. The catch? The capsule, Ooho, is made entirely out of plants and seaweed.
Why Sustainability?
British inventors Rodrigo García González and Pierre-Yves Paslier started looking for a solution to a pressing issue when brainstorming Ooho. With an estimated 310 billion pounds of plastic in our oceans today, plastic pollution is beginning to increasingly impact our daily lives. Plastic pollution is not only harmful to marine life because of ingestion of toxins, but also to humans. It is estimated that almost 1/4 of fish sold in markets have plastic in their bodies at the time of sale.
How Ooho Was Born
González and Paslier started their quest for sustainable water bottle solutions in 2014. They finally came up with a method known as spherification, in which a frozen ball of water is dipped into a chemical solution and then soaked in an algae-based mixture. This process creates a natural gel around the water, making a blob that is easy to hold and, eventually, pop.
Why Ooho?
Ooho solves the problem of unnecessary plastic waste by biodegrading in 4-6 weeks, just like fruit. Ooho is also much less expensive to produce than plastic, at just 2 cents a piece, and can hold soda, alcohol, and cosmetics, with flavoring and color added as needed.
Where to Get Ooho
If seaweed layers don't scare you away and you believe in Ooho's mission, sit tight. Ooho recently went into production after earning more than $1 million on a crowdfunding campaign for the sustainable water capsules. While it is not yet available in stores, you can find Ooho at marathon events, private conferences, and the occasional festival.
For now, Ooho's delicate structure makes it hard to pack in a bag and drink on the go, but Skipping Rocks Lab is assuring investors that more durable products are in the works. Although Ooho is not yet the most practical product on the market, it has the potential to redefine the bottled water industry and pave the way for more nature-friendly, anti-plastic innovations.