London Marathon Replaces Water Bottles With Biodegradable And Edible Water Pouches
2019 is definitely the year of environmental changes around the world – some use avocado seeds to create biodegradable “plastic”, others wrap their produce in banana leaves – it is clear that there is a growing interest in environmental changes around the world. With the demand for more sustainable products growing, companies around the world are doing their best to find the most eco-friendly solutions. It seems that now, more than ever, people are beginning to notice the impact our actions have on this earth and everyone is trying their best to live a more sustainable life.
More info: Notpla
Recently, the unnecessary amount of plastic used during marathons has been brought to everyone’s attention
Image credits: Paul Simpson
For the last couple of years, many people have stated that they would love to participate in public events such as the London marathon but hundreds of thousands of plastic water bottles thrown away is a major factor when it comes to deciding whether or not they want to be involved in this type of activity. In 2018, London marathon used 920,000 plastic bottles, and the fact that it takes from 450 to even 1000 years for one plastic bottle to dissolve, proves that changes need to be made as soon as possible.
But this year the London marathon has made a huge change when it comes to giving away water
Image credits: Katchooo
This year they have collaborated with a startup brand called Skipping Rocks Lab, who created edible water pouches called Ooho that are made from seaweed. Ooho’s main goal is to create packaging that dissolves completely and leaves absolutely no plastic behind, this groundbreaking creation is especially useful at events like this one. The packaging can be easily eaten since it has absolutely no taste or just thrown away because it is completely biodegradable.
London’s most recent marathon has reduced their usage of 920,000 water bottles to 704,000 by giving away these pouches for the runners during their 23rd mile
These water pouches can be used not only to store water but other beverages as well, for example, the company states they are quite popular at festivals to store cocktails and shots, you can also use it for juice.
With over 40,000 people participating in the event, there was a great need for a change when it comes to plastic being used
It’s hard to blame the participants since competing in such a big event is definitely not easy, and of course, drinking water is absolutely vital, so there is no doubt that runners can not refuse the water they are given. Since running a marathon while carrying a water bottle in hand is quite uncomfortable, most of the bottles are thrown on the ground. Despite being able to see people conquering their biggest physical obstacles, the view of plastic lying everywhere leaves many people disappointed in the event.
The London-based startup was created back in 2013 by Rodrigo Garcia Gonzalez and Pierre Paslier while studying Innovation Design Engineering at Imperial College London and the Royal College of Art.
One of the most important factors in creating these edible capsules is the fact that seaweed can grow up to 1m per day and it doesn’t need fresh water or fertilizer, it also actively contributes to de-acidifying the oceans.
The capsule biodegrades in 4-6 weeks leaving no waste behind
The project has recently expanded and is now using the same technique to store sauces as well. The team is also planning to create nets to store fruits and vegetables, heat sealable films and sachets for non-food products such as screws, nails or hardware.
Here’s a video showing how the capsules were given away during the marathon
Many people were happy to learn about this change
Check out a video about OOHO Edible water bubbles
112Kviews
Share on FacebookUse these to replace those free tiny shampoos and conditioners you get in hotels
Some vegetable based inks would mean you could print your brand on there as well. I wonder if these scale, because if you are super thirsty you'd have to drink dozens of them.
They could make them bigger. Or simply start making bottles from that material so.
Load More Replies...This is awesome! While I am a bit doubtful that the runners really manage to satisfy their thirst with the quite small pouches, it is a great start and I LOVE that they are starting to use those for condiments! Those sachets are so widely used that this will definitely make a difference! I wonder how they are transported and if they are as easy to handle, but they will surely figure out something in time.
A cold marathon you could probably run without water but anything warm you're looking at about 1 litre of water which if these held about 100ml which it looks like they do then that's only 10 aid stations. Now the London Marathon probably has about that many so eminently doable and I'd love the easy of use. When I ran in South Africa the water was in bags, and while not biodegradable, meant you didn't need to throw away the bottle and could tuck the bag in your shorts and drop at the next aid station.
Not necessarily true about running in the cold. Cold air is typically very dry and your body loses a lot of water just through breathing. Also, the cold makes people feel less thirsty, so they tend to drink less--doesn't mean they don't need water. The coldest weather I've ever run in was -33C. Winter running always makes me thirsty.
Load More Replies...These pouches are great, but I hope they'd recycle the bottles after instead of throwing them away?
LOVE LOVE LOVE this idea. Single-use plastic is a disaster for our planet ... but so hard to get away from for many reasons. Thrilled to see creative people coming up with brilliant ideas like this -- useful, practical, and not a gimmick. Let's keep this kind of thing going!
I hope that this time, the word "biodegradable" actually means something : https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2019/apr/29/biodegradable-plastic-bags-survive-three-years-in-soil-and-sea Answer in 3 years ?
I thought the video mentioned they can last from 4-6 weeks? That is the time limit before they start degrading I assume.
Load More Replies...I did a science fair project on a similar concept, but I used yogurt, soaked it a solution, and it was a little capsule! They looked like little blobs, and they were fun to eat afterwards 😂 glad to see you can do this to water!
This is what it looked like 😊 A8509C7C-4...5-jpeg.jpg
Load More Replies...About damn time someone come up with a solution! That works for the single serve, but the doesn't work for the whole bottle. Keep working on it guys! You're off to a fantastic start!
Why in the heck were they only offered for one mile of the whole marathon?
I think this is really important but apart from anything else they look so satisfiying.
This is the utmost truth though. Society has been putting pollution off for a long time now! When people litter their bottles, only about 30% of the bottles are used to actually recycle and make new ones. The other 70& goes to trash sites or ends up in the ocean. Pollution is a global problem and I'm glad that people are taking the time to actually come up with a solution.
I want them NOW! where can I buy them?... I know I can't yet but I still want them!
Why on earth has the number of plastic water bottles been reduced to ONLY 704 000!!!! Why not to zero? Makes no sense.
Watch the video! They just pop the whole thing in their mouth.
Load More Replies...Seaweed allergies are extremely rare from what I've read. According to this article, it could be beneficial - https://www.acs.org/content/acs/en/pressroom/presspacs/2016/acs-presspac-june-1-2016/seaweed-could-potentially-help-fight-food-allergies.html
Load More Replies...This is not a solution to the problem because these capsules biodegrade over time.
B I O D E G R A D E A B L E. Does that word mean nothing to you?
Load More Replies...Use these to replace those free tiny shampoos and conditioners you get in hotels
Some vegetable based inks would mean you could print your brand on there as well. I wonder if these scale, because if you are super thirsty you'd have to drink dozens of them.
They could make them bigger. Or simply start making bottles from that material so.
Load More Replies...This is awesome! While I am a bit doubtful that the runners really manage to satisfy their thirst with the quite small pouches, it is a great start and I LOVE that they are starting to use those for condiments! Those sachets are so widely used that this will definitely make a difference! I wonder how they are transported and if they are as easy to handle, but they will surely figure out something in time.
A cold marathon you could probably run without water but anything warm you're looking at about 1 litre of water which if these held about 100ml which it looks like they do then that's only 10 aid stations. Now the London Marathon probably has about that many so eminently doable and I'd love the easy of use. When I ran in South Africa the water was in bags, and while not biodegradable, meant you didn't need to throw away the bottle and could tuck the bag in your shorts and drop at the next aid station.
Not necessarily true about running in the cold. Cold air is typically very dry and your body loses a lot of water just through breathing. Also, the cold makes people feel less thirsty, so they tend to drink less--doesn't mean they don't need water. The coldest weather I've ever run in was -33C. Winter running always makes me thirsty.
Load More Replies...These pouches are great, but I hope they'd recycle the bottles after instead of throwing them away?
LOVE LOVE LOVE this idea. Single-use plastic is a disaster for our planet ... but so hard to get away from for many reasons. Thrilled to see creative people coming up with brilliant ideas like this -- useful, practical, and not a gimmick. Let's keep this kind of thing going!
I hope that this time, the word "biodegradable" actually means something : https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2019/apr/29/biodegradable-plastic-bags-survive-three-years-in-soil-and-sea Answer in 3 years ?
I thought the video mentioned they can last from 4-6 weeks? That is the time limit before they start degrading I assume.
Load More Replies...I did a science fair project on a similar concept, but I used yogurt, soaked it a solution, and it was a little capsule! They looked like little blobs, and they were fun to eat afterwards 😂 glad to see you can do this to water!
This is what it looked like 😊 A8509C7C-4...5-jpeg.jpg
Load More Replies...About damn time someone come up with a solution! That works for the single serve, but the doesn't work for the whole bottle. Keep working on it guys! You're off to a fantastic start!
Why in the heck were they only offered for one mile of the whole marathon?
I think this is really important but apart from anything else they look so satisfiying.
This is the utmost truth though. Society has been putting pollution off for a long time now! When people litter their bottles, only about 30% of the bottles are used to actually recycle and make new ones. The other 70& goes to trash sites or ends up in the ocean. Pollution is a global problem and I'm glad that people are taking the time to actually come up with a solution.
I want them NOW! where can I buy them?... I know I can't yet but I still want them!
Why on earth has the number of plastic water bottles been reduced to ONLY 704 000!!!! Why not to zero? Makes no sense.
Watch the video! They just pop the whole thing in their mouth.
Load More Replies...Seaweed allergies are extremely rare from what I've read. According to this article, it could be beneficial - https://www.acs.org/content/acs/en/pressroom/presspacs/2016/acs-presspac-june-1-2016/seaweed-could-potentially-help-fight-food-allergies.html
Load More Replies...This is not a solution to the problem because these capsules biodegrade over time.
B I O D E G R A D E A B L E. Does that word mean nothing to you?
Load More Replies...
384
66