Aeropowder is a UK based start up that look at waste in a different way. In a much more innovative way than sticking it all in a landfill. Their aim is to “create useful materials from waste that exists in society” (Aeropowder website). Co-founders Elena Dieckmann and Ryan Robinson have looked at the increasingly problematic waste that is produced in our endless manufacturing industries and decided that “we must find innovative solutions so that the materials we create, use and dispose of do not have a harmful, lasting legacy” (Aeropowder website).
Feathers, yes – feathers, are a growing issue for waste disposal in the poultry industry because as you can imagine, there is a lot of poultry being consumed globally, about 134 million chickens a day, and this all adds up to a massive amount of feathers as by-products. Instead of accepting that this is just the case, Aeropowder exists to capitalise on the lightweight, insulating, chemically resistant and physically strong characteristics of keratin, which is what feathers are made of, by using them to create high performance and environmentally friendly products.
Aeropowder are supported by experts in poultry waste processing, composites manufacturing, natural fibre processing, business finance and entrepreneurship and have received a number of awards, including the Mayor of London’s Low Carbon Entrepreneur Competition and they also have a number of prestigious partners, all of which you can learn more about on their website.
This business makes awesome progress towards SDG 12 Responsible Consumption and Production through its innovative use of a waste byproduct to form useful materials. Thank you to Ryan and Elena for showing how taking on industrial scale problems is never impossible, especially if you can channel Aeropowder’s drive to succeed in their mission!
Links:
Aeropowder Website
aeropowder.com
