Featured image for Dieline Awards 2020 Editor's Choice: Notpla Rebrand

Dieline Awards 2020 Editor's Choice: Notpla Rebrand

by Shawn Binder on 04/01/2020 | 3 Minute Read

We're floored by these clear, sea-weed packages that are bio-degradable and versatile to contain everything from water to ketchup. The blue of the logo's identity signifies the ocean blue that the company hopes to help clean up, and the logo itself is white and a beautiful play on the mission of the company: to make plastic disappear.

We have a plastic problem. Every year, 8 million tons of it are dumped in the oceans. It’s clear that packaging habits can’t continue. But in the oceans, therein lies the solution. Enter the creators of the naturally biodegradable, sustainable and even edible seaweed sachet, Notpla.

Seaweed is one of nature’s most renewable resources. It grows fast, is globally abundant and readily available. It doesn’t compete with food crops for land, nor does it need fresh water or fertilized to grow. It actively sequesters CO2 and de-acidifies the oceans. Notpla is a low-carbon material that generates 96% less carbon emissions. The flexible sachets hold liquids such as water, alcohol, condiments and sauces best suited to on-the-go, fresh or takeaway applications. Unlike other bioplastics, which require specialized industrial composting facilities, Notpla naturally decomposes in around 6 weeks.

Our brief was to create the new name, strategic and visual identity needed to reflect the company’s vision for the future. The new brand would work as a material name to a leading household name that signifies fully natural packaging that can be home composted, and a brand that is at the forefront of environmental sustainability.

Notpla is designed to be a simple and bold definition of who they are: not plastic; not PLA or other bioplastics; but a completely new thing. Notpla is more than just a brand but also the name of its own revolutionary material.

The new identity is centered around the brand’s core mission: to make packaging disappear. The animated logo reflects a vessel that can be filled with water, juices, cocktails or sauces and when it is emptied, the exterior disappears, just like its packaging. The tone of voice is simple, pared back, direct and bold. Notpla is built on the idea that its products will change the world. With such a bold and brave intention at the core of the brand, the only way to communicate this is in a simple and clear way, without being shy and overcomplicated. The name itself reflects this approach.

Notpla was trialled in 2019 at major international events such as the Virgin Money London Marathon with Lucozade and London Cocktail Week with Scottish Whiskey brand Glenlivet. In 2018, more than 650,000 plastic bottles were used during the race, but with Notpla, it is easily cleaned up or simply left to quickly biodegrade.

Notpla is in partnership with Just Eat and Unilever to provide more sustainable food packaging solutions across the takeaway sector, whilst creating a new and exciting experience for customers. As the number of people eating out of home continues to grow, so too does diner demand for packaging with a lower environmental impact. The new sachets make a big contribution toward cutting down on single-use plastic. This can give a food service operator a significant competitive advantage as consumers make more conscious choices about where and what they eat today.

Editorial photograph
Editorial photograph
Editorial photograph
Editorial photograph
Editorial photograph
Editorial photograph