Sustainable thermal packaging from waste feathers

Project Information

pluumo

Grant agreement ID: 877136

DOI 10.3030/877136

Closed project

Start date 1 August 2019

End date 30 November 2019

Funded under

• INDUSTRIAL LEADERSHIP - Innovation In SMEs

Total cost € 71 429,00

EU contribution € 50 000,00

Coordinated by

AEROPOWDER LIMITED
United Kingdom

Periodic Reporting for period 1 - pluumo (Sustainable thermal packaging from waste feathers)

Reporting period: 2019-08-01 to 2019-11-30

Summary of the context and overall objectives of the project

Synthetic packaging materials are destroying our planet but at the same time every day, poultry industry generates thousands of tons of waste feather. But thanks to its interesting properties there are ways to utilize it. AEROPOWDER LIMITED developed an innovative and patentable methodology to process waste feathers into a high-performance textile and then covered with a food-grade, compostable film.

Work performed from the beginning of the project to the end of the period covered by the report and main results achieved so far

During Phase 1, AEROPOWDER performed a technical and business feasibility assessment on the pluumo material,
product and technology. It compared the concept with known competing solutions, to able to distinguish it from current
state of art.

During Phase 1, the Minimum Viable Product (MVP) for the next development cycle was defined and product
development plan prepared. The direct cost of the pure product development over 2 years is estimated around €1.16m.
An additional 25% of indirect cost will be needed. The total project cost would be then €1.45m.
Vast number of companies require thermal protection for their deliveries, therefore they will be the targeted users for
pluumo: food and beverage industry (€ 1 trillion annual turnover in Europe), HoReCA market (€ 1 trillion turnover ),
pharmaceutical industry (€ 202b ), pharmacies and groceries market (€ 930b).

During Phase 1, the impact of the new product development and commercialization on the company was better
understood and aligned with the overall business and financial strategy. The financial potential was quantified, with a
conclusion that pluumo can generate £1.07m cumulated revenue, more than £0.51m gross profit and more than £0.186
operating profit of the revenue in the next 3 years.

Overall, Phase 1 provided time and resources to research the market, and better understand the next steps. Also, dozens
of discussions took place with potential stakeholders, based on which AEROPOWDER was able to better define the
objectives on the roadmap. In summary, Phase 1 convinced the management of the company to further pursue the idea
and to prepare next steps towards the product development, to be conducted maybe also with the help of Phase 2 of the
Horizon 2020 grant scheme.

Progress beyond the state of the art and expected potential impact (including the socio-economic impact and the wider societal implications of the project so far)

Polystyrene has an immense carbon footprint of 3,3 kg CO2 per each kg produced and European polystyrene production consumes a shocking 36.500 barrels of crude oil per day. As pluumo is made with zero-carbon manufacturing process, it will replace polystyrene 1:1, and contribute to the GHG reduction goals of the Paris agreement. Also by utilizing feather waste, which can be found in most locations, it will establish a new supply chain and create new jobs.

pluumo structure