Waitrose, the British supermarket chain, and supplier of groceries to Queen Elizabeth II by royal warrant, is partnering with Scottish biotech company CuanTec to develop a new and sustainable alternative to plastic film for seafood packaging…out of seafood.

CuanTec takes discarded langoustine shells and processes them to create chitin, a cellulose-type substance that can be used to produce a cling film that can substitute for plastic. Langoustines are a relative of the much more familiar lobster, and they’re harvested off Scottish shores.

Chitin isn’t only found in langoustine shells, other crustaceans like lobsters and even insects produce exoskeletons which contain the substance responsible for the armor-like toughness of these creatures’ shells. Chitin-based plastic is non-toxic and fully biodegradable.