Peel Saver

Objective

Peel Saver mission is to create a new 100% biodegradable street food packaging with potato peels.

Description

Inspired to reduce food waste, three Milan designers Simone Caronni, Pietro Gaeli, and Paolo Stefano Gentile have put their heads together to create an all-new food packaging design 100% ecological and biodegradable. After learning about how much peel waste was created in the process of making fries, the team explored different ways to reuse the discarded matter.

After softening and naturally drying potato peels (which are made up of starches and fibers) the organic material can bond and harden into the desired cone shape. In detail the production process consists in a first phase of maceration and natural drying of the peels that are later spread out in a circular mold. Subsequently, the product is rolled around a conical shape, as it happens with the artisanal ice cream waffle cones. In regards to the drying of the peels, they’ve made several experiments by testing different timings and methods, thus obtaining a proper texture.

The resulting material is made entirely of production waste and 100% biodegradable. After being used, the peel packaging can be reintroduced to the biological cycle to become animal food or fertilizer for crops – including potatoes. In this case you can absolutely talk about upcycling! Upcycling has a nicer meaning of recycling. It is not simply a matter of re-using something after the first use, but it is a matter of thinking of a new use, at a level like this one even more noble.

Traditional street packaging has a very short time of use, immediately becoming a hardly recyclable waste.

This new packaging serves as a prime replacement for plastic or paper alternatives “Peel Saver is a sustainable remedy whose aim is to replace plasticized paper packaging.” With the due investments, this project can be produced on a large scale with all the adaptations that are necessary for an industrial production.