Christmas trees to paint and sweeteners, newly discovered protein, hemp beard oils, potato waste fiberboard, biobased outdoor apparel and cosmetics, and more: The Digest’s Top 10 Innovations for the week of January 10th

#7 Potato waste fiberboard alternative addresses furniture industry waste

In London, two designers are using waste potato peels to produce Chip[s] Board, an eco-friendly alternative to medium-density fiberboard.

MDF is commonly used to produce furniture but cannot be recycled. Currently, the UK furniture sector disposes of or burns up to 140,000 tons of the material annually.

Rowan Minkley and Robert Nicoll say Chip[s] Board biodegradable and, unlike conventional MDF, does not contain formaldehyde or other chemicals. In addition to reducing the furniture industry’s environmental footprint, Chip[s] Board also finds a use for industrial food waste.

The Royal Academy of Engineering Enterprise Hub recently named Minkley the UK’s most promising young engineering entrepreneur.
More on the story, here.