A Styrofoam alternative made from grain husks

Could this material cut the carbon footprint of protective packaging?

Spotted: We have probably all had the experience of opening a delivery package only to find it full of swathes of unrecyclable packaging that has been added to provide cushioning. While there are several sustainable alternative packaging materials available to tackle this problem, a new option, called Recou, stands out.

Recou is a cushioning material based on grain husks – the hard outer layer of the grain that is often discarded as a waste product to be burned or used as animal bedding.

Proservation, the company that produces Recou, however, takes spelt husks produced locally (to minimise transport) and combines them with organic binders. The resulting material can then be formed into almost any shape, allowing it to replace Styrofoam and other, non-sustainable packaging materials.

Founded in 2022, Proservation is supported by ImpAct Accelerator Sustainable Packaging and Impact Hub Berlin. The company is also currently considering a crowd-investing campaign.

Sustainable materials are a rapidly growing market. In recent months, Springwise has spotted sustainable packing materials made from diverse substances such as mushrooms, hemp, and spent tea leaves.

Written By: Lisa Magloff