It was former textiles student Renuka Ramanujam, CEO of HUID (the Dutch term for skin), who initially discovered the use of onion skins as a source for fabric color.
The 30-year-old’s business buys leftover peel from farmers and other agricultural enterprises in order to create a material that resembles cardboard and a substitute for flexible film.
Support for it comes from the National Manufacturing Institute Scotland, an industry-led organization.
Because onion skins have antimicrobial qualities, packaging made of them may help perishable foods last longer.
High-quality cellulose is extracted from the outer onion skins and combined with a blend of biopolymers to create the eco-packaging.
Biopolymers are polymers derived from natural sources such as proteins, carbohydrates, and lipids. Polymers are very long chain molecules formed from small repeating units.
Considering that UK homes discard an estimated 90 billion pieces of plastic packaging each year, HUID is working to reduce waste.
Wearing a white lab coat, Renuka Ramanujam is carrying some of her homemade onion peel paper. Behind her are filing cabinets, a bench, and shades.
Onion skins were originally utilized by Renuka Ramanujam as a source of clothes color; today, she uses them to manufacture paper.
On the floor of my bedroom, I began experimenting with the material,” Ms. Ramanujam stated.
“When plastic is heated, pollutants seep into meals. My goal was to get a solution from something worthless.
