It is a known fact that plastic bottles, used for water or juices, bring harm to the environment because of its inability to being recycled. The USA alone consumes 50 billion plastic bottles annually, out of which a fraction of only about 23% gets recycled.
How about replacing the plastic bottles completely, with something that is biodegradable, edible as environment-friendly?
Introducing ‘Ooho!’- An ‘edible water bottle’ that can eschew the use of plastic from the face of the Earth. Water enclosed in an edible balloon of the membrane that is handy and very safe to be used by humans. So whenever you fell thirsty, all you have to do is peel off the exterior and then pop the water blob in your mouth and slurp the water it contains. It can also be swallowed as a whole and digested.
Skipping Rocks Lab has created different sizes of the water balls in different sizes, but they are to be kept small all in all so that each of the orbs can be consumed in just 1 go.
- ‘It is entirely biodegradable and so natural you can actually eat it.
- ‘Ooho sachets are flexible packets of water, drunk by tearing a hole and pouring into your mouth, or consumed whole.’
- ‘Our packaging is cheaper than plastic and can encapsulate any beverage including water, soft drinks, spirits, and even cosmetics.’
How is the membrane manufactured?
Ice, when mixed with a liquid form seaweed and calcium chloride, a membrane is formed which, upon solidification. The water then melts, hence delivering an orb; packaged water that is portable and most importantly ‘plastic-free’. The outer shell of water is made from edible algae. It is tasteless for now, but flavors can be added as desired.
How much does it cost?
It takes only 2 cents to manufacture each orb. The company claims that, in comparison to its counterpart plastic bottles, Ooho! has
- A Production cost much lower
- Carbon dioxide emissions are 5x times fewer
- Require almost 9x times lesser Energy
About the campaign:
Ooho! went viral and has been able to raise over £580,000 in a crowdfunding campaign, along with the spiking range of almost 500 people who have already invested in the product.
About the company:
Skipping Rocks Lab is the manufacturing company that was originated by three design students, based in London. Their goal is to products that are sustainable, first of which is Ooho!
The very first prototype of edible water bottle was made in 2013, for which it received LEXUS DESIGN AWARD, held in 2014.
Funding and Investments:
Ooho! is getting funded from Crowdcube and, with its initial launch, announced its closing at a hit of £400,000 ($500,000) target, within a few days. Skipping Rocks Lab wants to implement their invention in at events like ‘London Marathon’ as ‘an ingredient brand selling sustainable packaging materials and associated manufacturing tools to retailers.’
<blockquote class=”twitter-tweet” data-lang=”en”><p lang=”en” dir=”ltr”>Thank you so much to all our supporters. Over $1m raised and 1000 investors in 3 days! Now the real work begins…to
#makepackagingdisappear pic.twitter.com/Ljo4An9Szi
— Ooho! (@OohoWater) April 13, 2017