Chip[s] Board - an eco-friendly idea well baked

by Startacus Admin

Chip[s] Board - The startup that's on a mission to find value where others see waste with their eco-friendly material made out of potato peel...

It’s slow work, but the world is going through the process of realising that we need to rely more on green, eco-friendly, sustainable...well, everything possible, and making the switch where viable. Building materials, furniture, and cutlery might not be the first things people think of when they think biodegradable and eco-friendly, but when was the last time you visited a landfill (a fun family day out) to see what fills it the most?

London-based Chip[s] Board has seen the need and the possibility for a more sustainable, eco-friendly material based on chipboard and MDF: Chip[s] Board (it’s kind of in the name).

Chip[s] Board was born from the founders’ (Rowan Minkley and Rob Nicoll) observation that both chipboard and MDF are used in a highly disposable manner. Their university would buy whole new sheets rather than offcuts or recycling other products, as it was cheaper. The waste, therefore, ended up in landfills.

Their alternative, discovered after much experimentation, is made of potato peel. 

This green material is just as tough and durable as MDF, and can be machined in the same way, but it can hold a thread and is a little more water-resistant. More importantly, when it is time to retire a Chip[s] Board product, it is sent away to biodegrade rather than bulk up a landfill. Larger products are sent to a composting facility where they can be reclaimed for use in growing new produce.

Materials like chipboard and MDF are toxic, and when cut or left unsealed can even release formaldehyde, a carcinogen. Chip[s] Board does not use such toxic chemicals, and even the glue used in the products can be potato-based.

On Tuesday 17 April, Chip[s] Board, who are currently on CRL’s Accelerator, was one of the sustainability-oriented entrepreneurs to pitch to a panel of industry-leaders in the hopes of winning a prize of £20k to advance their products as part of the Mayor’s Entrepreneur Competition 2018. They were one of ten startups invited to take part, following 450 applications. Good work!

From furniture to disposable cutlery, there are many uses for Chip[s] Board, and no excuses, we think, not to make the switch.

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• #potato peel

Published on: 29th April 2018