{"id":92413,"date":"2024-05-10T09:59:19","date_gmt":"2024-05-10T07:59:19","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/packaging-journal.de\/?p=92413"},"modified":"2024-05-07T16:59:46","modified_gmt":"2024-05-07T14:59:46","slug":"proservation-packaging-material-from-husks","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/packaging-journal.de\/en\/proservation-verpackungsmaterial-aus-spelzen\/","title":{"rendered":"Compostable packaging material made from regional grain husks"},"content":{"rendered":"

Spelt is an unused residue from grain processing. A Stuttgart-based start-up uses this natural material to produce an ecological packaging material that can replace expanded polystyrene (EPS) and other plastic foams and padding solutions. The young company has already produced numerous small batches and now wants to get started with automated production on a larger scale and has launched the financing round with a crowd-investing campaign.<\/strong><\/p>\n

It all began as a final project in the Packaging Development & Management degree programme at Stuttgart Media University. In 2021, Lisa Scherer, a Master's student at the time, developed an ecological packaging material from grain husks. This provide good insulating and shock-absorbing properties due to naturally grown cavities<\/strong>. \u201eIn order to achieve the porosity required for the cushioning and insulating effect, cavities and air pockets are created in conventional materials using a lot of energy. Instead of repeatedly processing fossil raw materials for new plastic packaging in an energy-intensive process, our organic packaging material consists of largely unutilised plant residues. The raw material for our packaging is produced in large quantities every day during local grain processing anyway. This means that no additional cultivation areas or resources are required and no additional trees are felled,\u201c explains Lisa Scherer.<\/p>\n

Together with three other she founded the bioeconomy start-up Proservation at the end of 2022<\/strong>. The founding team includes packaging technician Sophia Scherer, business IT specialist Nils Bachmann and Henning Tschunt, who studied sustainable business management. In addition to the four founding members, the team has now grown to ten employees.<\/p>

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The founding team of Proservation (from left): Nils Bachmann, Sophia Scherer, Henning Tschunt, Lisa Antonie Scherer (Image: Proservation)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

\u201eWe are currently working on automating production in order to manufacture larger quantities of our material with consistent quality. To this end, we worked with a mechanical engineering partner last year to record all process parameters and now want to transfer these findings into automated processes.\u201c<\/p>\n

Henning Tschunt, <\/strong>Managing Director<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Successful crowdinvesting campaign<\/strong><\/h2>\n

Proservation launched a crowd-investing campaign in January to raise funds. \u201eThe campaign went very well, after ten days we had already raised 80 per cent of our target amount of 500,000 euros. We have now extended it and increased it to 650,000 euros.\u201c The funds raised will be used to invested in further scaling, the automation of production capacities and the expansion of sales activities<\/strong> will be realised. A fully designed pilot plant is to be built this year. Henning Tschunt: \u201eHowever, the aim is not to operate our own production in the long term, but to use our technology in a decentralised and regional manner via licensees and contract production. The synergy here would be that traditional polystyrene manufacturers who want to expand their product range to include natural materials integrate our plant into their production processes.\u201c<\/p>\n

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(Image: Proservation)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Proservation co-founder Nils Bachmann adds: \u201eOur aim is to strengthen regional value creation and thus increase our independence from international supply and production relationships. We cooperate with local husk mills and aim to minimise the transport distances required in the future by decentralising production as much as possible<\/strong>. Our long-term goal is to establish production sites for our solution wherever suitable residual materials are produced and fragile goods are packaged for transport.\u201c<\/p>\n

Sustainable packaging material made from husks<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n