Business start-up to launch new eco-friendly packaging from onions
The Scottish-based business, HUID, founded by textiles specialist Renuka Ramanujam, aims to offer an alternative to fossil fuel-derived plastic products.
Based in Oban, the company, recently moved into a new lab and office space to advance its compostable packaging concept.
Onion skins have anti-microbial properties, meaning the packaging could help extend the shelf life of perishable foods.
Producing the packaging involves extracting high-quality cellulose from onion skins and combining it in a biopolymer blend, creating a film with a mechanical strength comparable to conventional plastics.
The concept has the backing of National Manufacturing Institute Scotland (NMIS), operated by the University of Strathclyde and part of the High Value Manufacturing (HVM) Catapult, while the Advanced Materials Research Laboratory (AMRL) at the University of Strathclyde is undertaking rigorous testing of the onion-based materials.
The business has already created two prototypes - Pyber – a cardboard-like material and Cellofil, a flexible film equivalent. Mechanical tests by AMLR and lifestyle assessments by NMIS have confirmed their performance, functionality and environmental footprint, the company confirmed.
There are plans to launch Pyber as its first product by the middle of next year, following the appointment of a chief scientific officer.
The startup recently secured £150,000 in funding from Innovate UK to improve its processing methods and manufacturing as well as £20,000 from The Greenhouse, a climate tech accelerator programme, which is part of The Grantham Institute and Imperial College London.
Renuka Ramanujam, HUID’s founder, said: “Onion skins are nature’s own form of packaging, protecting the onion below from harm and are a plentiful waste source. Yet, after speaking to various scientists I realised that no one was using them as a material and spotted a gap in the market for a new variety of eco-friendly packaging.”
She added: “Working with NMIS and the AMRL has been instrumental in refining our products and gaining the validation we need to show buyers and consumers that the compostable packaging meets the same standards they might expect from single-use plastic or cardboard.”
Aineias Karkasinas, Sustainability Engineer at NMIS, said: “HUID’s creative use of onion skins minimises waste and is a great response to the current market need for sustainable packaging. It has been great to support the development of genuinely sustainable solutions and provide HUID with deeper insights into the environmental performance of its materials.”
