The world we live in today as a majority is becoming much more concerned about the impact on the environment and many businesses are looking to reduce their carbon footprint. One of the ways to do this is to use eco-friendly packaging. Not only does this help the environment, it shows their customers they are buying from a company that cares about the planet which in turn can add to repeat business.

At this year’s Lexus Design Awards a team going by the name AMAM impressed with their prototype packaging. Created as an alternative to plastic, the prototype packaging product is called Agar Plasticity and is made from seaweed and displays the possibilities of using agar for packaging. The prototype uses agar as a substitute for plastic. Agar is found in a multitude of marine algae, can be collected easily and is in abundance, the Agar-based material also dissolves in boiling water and leaves no residue.

Plastic just can’t be recycled an infinite amount of times and agar is in the running to replace its use, especially in the more traditional disposable materials such as plastic shopping bags. Agar is so appealing for this use not only because of its abundance and sustainability but also for its dissolvable quality which far outshines plastics estimated life cycles of 500 – 1000 years. Pushing the limits since being shortlisted in November; the AMAM team are striving to get this new prototype going. So keep your eyes peeled on the market for the ‘future of packaging’.