Lisa, Sophia, Nils and Henning, four friends who share the conviction that business has a serving function within society, founded PROSERVATION at the end of 2022. Together, they are pursuing the mission of establishing ecologically and economically sound packaging solutions. The purpose of the company is the production and distribution of alternative, sustainable padding materials made from grain husks - plant residues from domestic grain processing. In the meantime, they have added important expertise in production and plant development to their team. The next big challenge is now to gradually scale up the technical production of the new material in order to reduce unit costs and increase sales opportunities. We put our questions to PROSERVATION.
What steps have you taken from the idea to today to make it this far?
"Lisa pioneered the development of our upholstery material two years ago. At the time, she was experimenting with cellulose foams as part of a university project at the HdM. She developed the idea of utilising the natural shock-absorbing and insulating properties of the previously mostly unused waste material husks as a packaging padding material. She validated her approach as part of her master's thesis, with initial prototypes demonstrating similar properties to EPS (polystyrene). In order to further develop the promising approach and ultimately bring it to market maturity, we jointly applied for the EXIST start-up grant and received funding in March of this year. In the meantime, we have moved into premises at the HdM, where we are pressing ahead with material and production development."
What is the problem with expanded polystyrene (EPS) and what is it used for?
"EPS (better known as Styrofoam) is mainly used for transport packaging of vulnerable packaged goods, as insulating packaging or as insulation material on a large scale. However, the use of EPS has a considerable environmental impact throughout its entire life cycle. EPS consists of fossil resources (crude oil) and is extremely energy and emission-intensive to produce (6 kg CO 2 per 1 kg EPS). In addition, it can only be recycled on an industrial scale. Proper disposal by end consumers (yellow bag) usually leads to incineration rather than recycling due to the lack of homogeneity. This releases further greenhouse gases. This is another reason why the new Packaging Act has categorised EPS as non-recyclable. If EPS ends up in nature, it breaks down into smaller pieces over time due to UV radiation, becoming secondary microplastics and polluting the environment for centuries."
What distinguishes your new material from expanded polystyrene (EPS) and in which areas can it replace it? What are the advantages?
"Our material saves resources by consisting of mostly unused plant residues from domestic grain processing. Because all ingredients biodegrade, we have every reason to believe that our material can be composted at home without leaving any residue. It requires few, low-energy steps during production and, as with polystyrene, it can be moulded into a wide variety of three-dimensional shapes. Firstly, our material can replace EPS as form-fitting protective packaging, for example for household appliances, consumer electronics and other goods worth protecting. No plastic waste is produced and our material is unmistakably recognisable as a natural product thanks to its look and feel. This allows manufacturers to make their sustainability ambitions visible to end customers and create positive user experiences."
How did you prepare for your EXIST application? What tips would you give to other start-ups who are also about to take this step?
"We first gathered detailed information and evaluated which specific requirements needed to be taken into account as part of the "ideas paper" to be submitted for funding approval. We then divided up the requirements within the team according to our competences and worked on a joint document. As we had already dealt intensively with the potential, possible applications and challenges of the new material beforehand and a number of theses had already been written on the material, we were able to formulate large parts of the ideas paper quite quickly. We were in close contact with the Start-Up Centre at the Hochschule der Medien, which supported us with some detailed questions about the submission and by proofreading and commenting on our draft texts.
Tips for start-ups:
- Balanced team with different areas of expertise covering all necessary areas
- Realistic but slightly euphemistic presentation of opportunities and risks
- Start-up idea with clear social added value
- Argumentation with reliable sources and estimates with justified assumptions
- Obtain and accept help with the submission, e.g. from start-up centres at the respective universities
- Develop a clear idea of what exactly should/can be achieved during the funding period"
PROSERVATION's vision of the future is a world in which all packaging is environmentally friendly. They want to make their contribution to this. They are currently working with regionally available spelt husks, but are also experimenting with other husks from buckwheat, millet and rice. With an industrial production process, environmentally friendly packaging materials could be produced anywhere in the world where suitable waste materials are available.
