Indonesia, which has some of the world’s filthiest rivers, has joined a United Nations-led cleanup drive after being rated the second-biggest plastic marine polluter, behind China. Evoware co-founder David Christian said the idea of seaweed-based edible packaging was spurred by his desire to limit plastic pollution over the last few years in his hometown of Jakarta, Indonesia’s capital of 10 million people.
After the success of the first product the company developed, the seaweed-based jelly cup, Evoware is expanding into other types of packaging, such as dissolvable sachets for coffee or seasonings.
According to Christian, Indonesia produces 10 million tonnes of seaweed each year, which is believed to reach 19 million tonnes by 2020.
“I saw how much plastic waste is produced here, which takes hundreds or thousands of years to degrade and contaminates everything.”
– David Christian, Co-Founder, Evoware
However, Evoware’s products, now made by hand, still have some way to go before they can compete with plastic on price. The edible seaweed Ello Jello cone can be up to five times more expensive than ordinary crepe cones. On top of that, it uses plastic and paper wrapping to preserve its texture.
Source: Tech in Asia
Dr. Noryawati Mulyono has been the most crucial driver of the innovation against plastic pollution. A specialist in agricultural sciences, Dr. Mulyono is the product developer at Evoware, responsible for creating the seaweed packaging and the edible utensil material. The research for developing the food packaging has been underway since 2010.
In 2012, Dr. Mulyono became the runner-up at Wismilak Diplomat Success Challenge and got a grant to develop bioplastic production capacity from small scale to prototype scale.
Source: Greenbiz
Some of the wraps, such as those for power protein bars, burgers and waffles, are edible. Others, such as the ones for dry foods like tea, instant noodles or cereal, are meant to dissolve quickly when liquid is introduced. Still others, notably those used for soaps or sanitary napkin packaging, will biodegrade over time.