In Germany, a company called Proservation has developed a molded packaging product from grain cultivation waste that could replace Styrofoam. Called Recou, the impact-resistant material is made from the husk and chaff that is either thrown out, burned or used as animal bedding after grain harvest.
Proservation uses a biobased binder, meaning the whole product can be easily composted. “Thanks to [this] specially developed ecological binder, RECOU can [also] be shaped as desired, and due to comparable material properties, it has the potential to substitute petrochemical packaging solutions such as EPS (Styrofoam) and represent an ecologically sound alternative for many applications,” Proservation told Yanko Design.
The product faces some limitations the company is working to address. For example, RECOU can take up to eight hours to produce and weighs more than Styrofoam. It is also susceptible to moisture and humidity after prolonged periods. Proservation is selling palette corner cushions and is “open” to molding specific products based on requirements.