Allianz Stadium serves up UK-first plastic-free drinks carrier in latest sustainability play with Notpla
Allianz Stadium has taken another step in setting the standard for sustainable sport by piloting a UK-first, plastic-free drinks carrier at England XV v France XV rugby match, on 21 June 2025.
The carrier, inspired by the shape of a rugby ball, was developed by Notpla, the Earthshot Prize-winning packaging innovators, in direct collaboration with the catering and operations teams at Allianz Stadium.
This latest launch marks yet another milestone in a long-standing partnership between Allianz Stadium, Levy and Notpla, who have worked together to bring seaweed-based, home-compostable packaging solutions into live stadium service at pace and scale.
The new carrier was co-designed with the specific challenges of matchday service in mind - from speed and stackability through to simplicity of disposal, with Notpla's carrier biodegrading naturally, just like a fruit peel.
Pierre Paslier, Co-Founder and Co-CEO, Notpla said: "Working directly with the team at Allianz Stadium has allowed us to design and deliver true packaging innovation at speed. This kind of collaboration - with a venue willing to lead and a caterer committed to action - is how we make plastic-free stadiums a reality and really tackle the problem of single-use plastics head on."
This latest innovation builds on Allianz Stadium's broader sustainability programme and follows the venue's UK-first trial of Notpla's seaweed-based chip forks during the 2024 Guinness Six Nations.
Allianz Stadium's partnership with Notpla has already led to the replacement of over 100,000 single-use items across food packaging and cutlery, with 50,000 of those in the past year alone. Cutting more than 86 kilograms of plastic from source. And by making the switch, the stadium has also avoided nearly 1 tonnes (974 kg) of CO₂e emissions.
Gary Cargill, Director of Catering Services, Twickenham Experience Limited commented: "We're proud to work with innovators like Notpla to deliver practical, visible steps towards a more sustainable matchday and event experience. This new drinks carrier is just one more example of how these changes, delivered at scale, can make a big difference for our fans and the planet."
With the new drinks carrier now in use and future packaging innovations set to be added to the lineup, that impact is only set to grow.