Agar: the seaweed that could replace plastic

A group of Japanese designers and engineers has developed a gelatinous material obtained from marine algae that can be used to replace plastic.

When Akira Muraoka, Kosuke Araki, and Noriaki Maetani reached the final of the Lexus Design Award 2016, they knew they had invented something special. Because seaweed-derived agar might be the smartest alternative to plastic.

"Sold in a dry state, agar shows porous, feathery structure and is very light despite its volume. We have taken notice of these features and have been exploring its possibility as packaging material," the team behind AMAM explains.