Gastronomica Series

19 February 2025 | 12:30 PM | Exchange Building, Colworth Science Park

Speaker: Rodrigo Garcia Gonzalez – Co-Founder, Notpla | Earthshot Prize Winner

Key Themes: Innovative seaweed-based packaging and the fight against plastic pollution

Why Attend?

Discover how seaweed-based materials can revolutionise packaging and reduce plastic waste. Rodrigo Garcia Gonzalez, co-founder of Notpla and winner of the prestigious Earthshot Prize, will share his journey and vision for a world without plastic pollution. Attendees will also experience a hands-on product showcase featuring Notpla’s innovative, plastic-free packaging.

Why This Matters

Currently, 6.3 billion tonnes of untreated plastic waste pollute our environment. Only 9% of all plastic produced has been recycled, with the rest incinerated, landfilled, or dumped into our oceans. This session highlights how seaweed-based solutions could pave the way for a more sustainable future.

Key topics include:

• The environmental impact of plastic pollution
• Regenerative packaging materials
• Scalable solutions for the food and drink industry

About the speaker

Rodrigo Garcia Gonzalez is the co-founder of Notpla, a UK-based climate tech company who develop regenerative, seaweed-based materials designed to disappear naturally. Winners of the Earthshot Prize, Notpla already partners with global brands such as Just Eat Takeaway.com, Decathlon and Uber Eats and have replaced over 16 million items of single-use plastic. With significant investment and manufacturing partners in place, Notpla expects this number to grow rapidly, replacing 100 million single-use plastics per year within the next two years and accelerating the world’s switch to truly sustainable packaging solutions.

Discover Gastronomica

At Gastronomica, we’ve created a vibrant food and drink hub designed to foster collaboration and innovation. This space brings together entrepreneurs, scientists, and creatives, inspiring conversations and connections that can drive forward sustainable solutions in food and drink.

Explore more about Gastronomica, how you can get involved and how it’s shaping the future of sustainable gastronomy here.