Seaweed-based Biodegradable Packaging Materials

Interview with Neha Jain, Founder, Zerocircle.

Zerocircle develops and provides seaweed-based, biodegradable packaging alternatives as sustainable solutions. They aim to create circular, carbon-neutral solutions that replace harmful petrochemical-based materials and reduce plastic waste.

Can you talk about the primary areas of focus for Zerocircle?

We are a material science company creating clean and green materials from seaweed as alternatives to conventional plastics extracted from fossil fuels. Scientists at Zerocircle focus on creating materials that don’t leach any harmful substances once they are no longer in use, and then degrade naturally even in poorly managed environments.

Our seaweed-based solutions replace hard-to-recycle plastics, such as polyethene and polypropylene single-use films, invisible barrier coatings for food and invisible adhesives (to name a few), while tackling complex biomaterial challenges like hydrophobic coatings, all with a commitment to clean chemistry. Our coatings also specifically tackle pollution caused by PFAs–also known as ‘forever’ chemicals–which can be found in food packaging, especially food takeaway and disposable food packaging.

Solutions beyond packaging

Our vision, however, goes beyond packaging. Our tree-free paper is made from Sargassum, a seaweed that constitutes the largest algal bloom in the Atlantic. This harmful bloom stifles marine ecosystems. It’s a great instance of how we turn waste to value by using wasted resources of the ocean and reinforcing it with wasted resources of the land, which end up causing unprecedented air pollution. Our products, therefore, stand at the intersection of ocean conservation, waste reduction, and climate action. They deliver high performance—our thin films are stronger than polythene, and our label sticker adhesives improve recyclability while withstanding condensation. Importantly, our cost-effective solutions are designed to be affordable and accessible to the masses.

Our materials are used to manufacture products like barrier coatings (for F&B industry), pellets and thin films (for textile, fashion and FMCG), and seaweed paper (for secondary packaging requirements).

Zerocircle uses ‘low energy green processing’ technology, can you explain the technological aspects involved?

Zerocircle uses what we call low-energy green processing—a technology designed to avoid harsh chemicals, high energy consumption, and complex industrial steps. Unlike conventional plastic manufacturing, which depends on fossil fuels, extreme heat, and heavy machinery, our process extracts natural polymers (polysaccharides) from seaweed using gentle, energy-efficient methods.

We consciously avoid high-pressure reactors, multiple solvent extractions, and other intensive chemical treatments. Instead, our R&D focuses on preserving the natural properties of seaweed while developing materials that are safe for food contact, biodegradable, and home-compostable. These materials match the performance of single-use plastics, without the long-term environmental cost.

Can you discuss the differences between seaweed packaging and traditional packaging methods?

• No dependence on fossil fuels or any resource that competes with feedstock.

• Traditional packaging, especially plastic laminates and coated paper, offers strong barriers against grease, moisture, and air, but often at the cost of environmental impact. Seaweed-based coatings, developed by Zerocircle, now match and exceed these performance metrics with natural grease- and oil-resistance, all while being free from harmful chemicals like PFAS. Plus, it’s inherently marine-safe and food-safe.

• Conventional packaging materials rely on petroleum-based inputs and complex, energy-intensive processing. Seaweed packaging uses renewable marine biomass and can be processed using existing plastic or paper manufacturing infrastructure, reducing the need for entirely new systems. This makes it scalable and cost-efficient in the long term, especially as fossil fuel costs and environmental compliance fees rise.

• Plastic-coated and dispersion-coated papers are notoriously hard to recycle or compost due to their mixed-material nature, often ending up in landfills or oceans. In contrast, Zerocircle materials are hyper home compostable, 100% biodegradable – decomposing quickly in natural environments without releasing toxins or micro-plastics.

What type(s) of seaweed do you use for packaging? Specifically, is there a particular type(s) of plastic you replace?

We use red and brown seaweed species for various products. We are specifically replacing single use and hard to recycle plastic alternatives. The process starts with cleaner materials that don’t leave anything harmful behind. Our products are being manufactured for primary and secondary packaging requirements for high-demand industries like food & beverage, fashion and textile, FMCG and electronics, to name a few.

Our focus has been on identifying specific use cases of single use plastics which are the hardest to recycle, are single use and take years to degrade. For instance PE- coated and aqueous coated food boxes which are used by most F&B players is one of the biggest causes of micro-plastics in our environment. Environmentally, these materials are often un-recyclable due to their multi-layer composition, leading to persistent landfill waste and micro-plastic pollution. From a health POV, many coatings contain PFAS or other synthetic additives that can leach into food, raising concerns over long-term exposure.

In which domains/industries can one use the end products of Zerocircle?

Zerocircle’s materials are designed to seamlessly integrate into industries that are actively seeking sustainable alternatives to conventional plastic and wood-pulp-based packaging.

In the food and beverage industry, especially in takeaway, QSR (quick service restaurants), and HORECA (Hotels, Restaurants, and Catering), our seaweed-based coatings and paper solutions offer a direct replacement for traditional plastic-lined or fluorochemical-coated packaging. Whether it’s clamshells, sandwich wraps, burger boxes, or bakery packaging, our materials provide the same grease and moisture resistance—minus the micro-plastics and PFAS. They’re not only home-compostable but also safe for direct food contact, which is critical for both consumer health and regulatory compliance.

Beyond food, we see strong relevance in fashion, textiles, FMCG, and electronics—sectors under increasing pressure to reduce plastic and carbon footprints. Our films and flexible packaging solutions can also be used in garment packaging.

Aside from seaweed packaging, what other product(s) does Zerocircle offer?

While Zerocircle is best known for its work with seaweed-based packaging materials, our vision extends far beyond flexible packaging. At our core, we are a material science company focused on engineering the next generation of regenerative materials that are safe for people and the planet.

As we grow, we’re expanding our R&D to tackle some of the most persistent and polluting plastics in the system— materials that are notoriously difficult to recycle and often end up in landfills or oceans. One of our key areas of innovation is focused on developing plastic-free alternatives to polystyrene (thermocol), widely used in foodservice, consumer electronics, and insulation, yet one of the most environmentally damaging and non-degradable plastics in circulation.

We’re also broadening our portfolio of barrier coatings—moving beyond just food packaging into areas like consumer goods and e-commerce, where grease, oil, and moisture resistance are essential, but current solutions rely heavily on petrochemicals. Our goal is to deliver high-performance coatings that are fully biodegradable and compatible with existing paper and fibre-based substrates.

In addition, we’re exploring biodegradable alternatives to synthetic adhesives, which are used in everything from labels and tapes to multi-layer packaging. These adhesives, while small in volume, play a major role in making packaging un-recyclable.

Can you talk about the positive environmental impact generated by Zerocircle’s products through a quantitative lens?

Today, less than 1% of paper cups and food containers are recycled globally. Over 95% of them are lined with plastic or wax, making them incompatible with traditional recycling systems. As a result, an estimated 250 billion such items are landfilled or incinerated each year, releasing toxic emissions and adding to the world’s growing microplastic crisis. In fact, studies show that just one paper cup filled with hot liquid can release up to 25,000 microplastic particles, many of which end up in our air, water, and food systems.

Our seaweed-based, fully compostable materials offer a cleaner, scalable alternative. Our solution is not just free of plastics like PE, PP, and PFAs—it’s made from locally sourced seaweed, grown in one of the richest supply zones globally, accounting for 97% of the world’s seaweed farming.

From an industry lens, the F&B sector alone consumes 78 million tonnes of plastic annually.

To date, Zerocircle has replaced over 100,000 plastic packaging items within the food and beverage sector.

That’s a significant reduction in carbon emissions, deforestation, and marine pollution—and a powerful step toward eliminating the microplastics we can’t even see but are increasingly inhaling or ingesting every day. Every single unit we replace represents a conscious step away from pollution-heavy packaging and toward a regenerative material future—where what we take from nature returns to it safely.

This interview was first published in Cleantech Hero’s March – April magazine edition, 2025.