pluumo: The startup ending thermal packaging waste

We caught up with pluumo – the sustainable startup putting an end to the waste created by temperature-sensitive packaging. Conventional thermal insulation materials, such as polystyrene, are inherently damaging to our planet. But, pluumo have a solution – feathers.  

 

Creators of pluumo: Ryan Robinson - Co-Founder & CEO and Elena Dieckmann - Co-Founder & Head of Innovation

So, pluumo – tell us what you do

In a nutshell, we make pluumo - the world’s first sustainable thermal packaging made from surplus feathers designed to replace expanded polystyrene.

 

Impressive – but, how did you discover the potential with feathers?

This all started back when Elena (Aeropowder Co-Founder) was completing a Masters Degree at the Dyson School, studying waste in society. She came across the problem of the millions of tons of feathers generated by the global poultry industry every year. So, inspired by the circular economy, we set out to create materials that harnessed the natural properties of feathers.

 

Why does this matter?

An increasing amount of deliveries are being sent every single day. For those containing temperature-sensitive items, thermal insulation materials are needed to prevent spoilage. However, conventional products such as polystyrene have a devastating impact on the world around us, so pluumo represents a better, more sustainable way for deliveries to take place.

 

Who do you work with? 

Internally as a team, we are continuing to grow, andI’m lucky enough to work with a range of talented scientists and commercially minded superstars. But we can’t do this alone. We have a bunch of excellent partners across Europe who help us to manufacture pluumo. We are just at the stage of producing at scale and in talks with various food companies interested in using pluumo for their chilled deliveries. So, watch this space! 

 

Who is your dream customer?

A dream customer for us would be one that not only sends millions of deliveries per year but is also a household name. This way, as many people as possible will know about pluumo and the potential of waste feathers. A company like Hello Fresh is an obvious choice! That being said, right now as we get ourselves scaling, we have more humble targets and dreams.We will be making an appearance very soon at Wing Fest London, a chicken wing food festival, and it would be amazing to secure some business from vendors who are keen to embrace the circular economy!

 

And, out of curiosity – where do you get all these feathers from? 

We currently source surplus feathers from Kamýk Daunen. They are a feather supplier for the down industry so for clothing and bedding. Surplus feathers are those that are too large and bulky for their processes, so until we finish developing the technology to intercept chicken feathers, this is where our feathers come from at the moment.

Kamýk Daunen are certified by the Responsible Down Standard and Down Pass and are working towards becoming Bluesign Certified.

 

 

The circular economy never ceases to amaze us. pluumo are an ingenious case for the often-hidden potential of waste streams. 

  

Interested in accessing facilitated collaboration opportunities with startups such as pluumo? 

 

The Better World Collective supports corporates, startups, academics and policy makers to collaborate on new and innovative sustainable materials. We curate connections between corporates seeking to move the needle on their sustainability agenda and the startups with innovations that meet the corporate’s need. As a Better World Collective corporate member, you access purposeful and solution-focused summits, bespoke innovation support, and resources to fast-track your sustainability goals. 

Get in touch with the Better World Collective team to find out more about membership.

 

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