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UK juice and smoothie brand Innocent has joined forces with seaweed packaging start-up Notpla to pilot plastic-free, edible packaging for the brand’s ginger shots.

Notpla’s ‘Ooho pod’ packaging is made of biodegradable seaweed, with the innovative ‘pod’ able to be swallowed after the shot is consumed, eliminating packaging waste and aligning with the UK’s circular economy ambitions.

Innocent’s packaging lead, Andy Wallis, said the innovative packaging format could be used not just in the brand’s ginger shots, but across other drink and smoothie formats. The pilot aims to explore how the packaging technology could be used and to assess consumer receptivity.

The brand chose Nobottle – a tiny hamlet with a population of 30 in Northamptonshire, UK – to launch the new ‘no bottle’ innovation trial. It invited residents to try the product for the first time before expanding the trial to the wider public in a nearby city.

According to Innocent’s wider survey of 321 people, carried out on 27 October 2026, 78% of those who tried the pods said they would buy them if available today.

Pierre Paslier, co-founder and co-CEO of Notpla, said: “Our natural packaging range, including our Ooho pods, use seaweed to create compostable, edible alternatives to single-use plastics, designed to disappear without leaving waste behind”.

“Working with great brands like Innocent gives us an exciting opportunity to explore how it could work for everyday moments, sustainably.”

Notpla, headquartered in London, produces a broader range of plastic-free seaweed packaging materials in addition to the pods. Its packaging innovations can be used across food and beverage product formats such as drinks, sauces and single-use liquids.

Formats of the seaweed packaging have already been used at events such as festivals and marathons, to reduce plastic usage and container waste.