An ingenious edible vessel that aims to reduce waste plasticWinner of the Lexus Design Award 2014 and backed by Climate KIC, Ooho is a cheap, biodegradable membrane made from Calcium and Brown Algae. “Ooho is more like a fruit - one blob contains about 4cl of water, the equivalent of a sip,” say its designers. “Several of these blobs are packaged in a similar, thicker membrane, like the skin of an orange.”While plastic offers a convenient solution, it generates a vast amount of harmful waste. It is estimated that around 155 million tonnes of it will end up in our oceans within the next 10 years. Inspired by a gastronomy technique called ‘spherificiation’, an edible water bottle could go along way to harnessing this problem.The plastic bottle has become an unassuming tyrant on our shelves, camouflaged by its own dominance. It has become so ingrained within the fabric of everyday consumerism that we often forget to pay it the attention it deserves. The Ooho concept is a strong step towards challenging the way we think about packaged liquids, and indeed packaging in general.A number of designers from different disciplines have turned their attentions to the problem of waste plastic. Fungi Mutarium is a system that consumes biodegradable plastic whilst growing edible mushrooms while Studio Swine have been collecting marine plastic, melting it down and moulding it to create simple, attractive Sea Chairs.
Ooho!
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