Potter Clarkson are very proud to see two of our clients named in the list of finalists for The Earthshot Prize, a highly regarded global environmental award led by Prince William. The winner will receive £1 million to help them scale their solution.
The Earthshot Prize was designed to “find and grow the solutions that will repair our planet this decade” and to help us “face our greatest challenge; to regenerate the place we all call home in the next ten years”.
The awards ceremony takes place on Friday, December 2 at the MGM Music Hall in Boston before being aired around the world via BBC in the UK and PBS in the USA. The show will also be available globally on YouTube from Sunday, December 4.
Our first client is Notpla, a name that is an abbreviation of ‘Not Plastic’.
Notpla is harnessing the power of seaweed to replace single-use plastic, one of the leading causes of global environmental pollution. Their aim is to lead the way in reducing society’s reliance on unnecessary single-use packaging. They have developed a portfolio of truly biodegradable solutions made from seaweed and plants that leave no trace at their end-of-life.
Notpla packaging solutions address the needs of a wide variety of industries, everything from electronics, fashion, and cosmetics to food.
One of Notpla’s products, Ooho, is an edible bubble that holds liquids for on-the-go consumption. 36,000 Oohos filled with Lucozade, were handed to runners at the London Marathon. Meanwhile, Notpla Coating is paving the way in the replacement of plastic in takeaway-food containers, most notably in more than 1 million takeaway food boxes for Just Eat.
Understandably the senior team at Notpla is elated at being named as one of the finalists.
When the list was released co-founder and co-CEO Rodrigo Garcia Gonzalez, said:
“There is currently a huge imbalance between how long single-use plastic packaging is used for, and how long it will last in our environment. Notpla's solution is a range of packaging made from seaweed that can be eaten or disappears in just 4-6 weeks, just like a piece of fruit! We are delighted to be an Earthshot Prize finalist as it recognizes the tremendous effort that our team is making to "Build a waste free world."
His co-CEO Pierre-Yves Paslier added:
“Fourteen million tonnes of plastic enter our oceans each year. We founded Notpla when we discovered the solution lies in our oceans too. We are already replacing plastic that plagues our seas and working with seaweed farms that give back to the environment and the local economy. Thank you for recognising us as we take our next big step and eliminate single-use plastic for good!”
Our second client is UK-based science-led construction company, Low Carbon Materials (LCM) who have been shortlisted because of their science-based, lower carbon, new-age building material OSTO.
OSTO is a carbon-negative lightweight aggregate for concrete produced out of waste and by-products. It is a game-changer for the construction industry, which is currently responsible for around 8% of the world’s greenhouse gas emissions.
Osto works by making traditional carbon-intensive blocks carbon-zero, thereby reducing their environmental impact.
LCM’s CEO and Co-Founder Dr Natasha Boulding was delighted to be named as a finalist:
“We are absolutely thrilled to be nominated and now to be through to the final stages in this competition. It is such an honour to be included alongside such pioneering organisations and individuals who are engaged in truly astounding environmental initiatives.
To have our low-carbon, waste-based building material recognised as a formidable solution that can be scaled to reverse environmental damage and to better protect the environment is truly game-changing. This is real independent verification from the highest authority that our product has the potential to help fix our planet.”
Notpla and Low Carbon Materials are two of the 15 finalists who will be judged by a global team of influencers from a broad range of sectors, including Prince William, Sir David Attenborough, Cate Blanchett, Shakira and Jack Ma.
We would of course like to wish both of them the very best of luck.
