By now it’s no secret that plastic, in its many forms, takes hundreds of years to decompose and is harmful to the environment. By creating an ‘edible water bottle’ London Based start-up, Skipping Rocks Labs, hopes to replace the millions of plastic bottles thrown away every year. Ooho! is an edible jelly-like sphere filled with drinkable liquid and made of natural, biodegradable materials. This biodegradable, edible and pocket-friendly replacement of plastic is mainly created from calcium chloride and sodium alginate, a seaweed derivative.
Basically, a frozen blob of water is coated with a double-membraned transparent material consisting of calcium chloride and the seaweed derivative. The proprietary material is actually cheaper than plastic and can encapsulate any beverage including water, soft drinks, spirits and cosmetics. All the customer has to do to quench his/her thirst is poke a hole in the surface layer or pop the entire blob into the mouth. It will be interesting to see if consumers can put their plastic bottles aside to opt for something more eco-friendly like Ooho!