Medeon Blogg

A truly eco-friendly takeaway box is on its way

The future lies in sustainable food packaging, according to ConServ – a newly admitted Medeon incubator company. The founders use their expertise in material development and traditional materials from their native country, India. This summer, they plan to launch the first palm tree leaf-based product.

– Customers are currently testing our prototype product, a take-away bowl with a lid that can be used as a plate, and we are waiting for their feedback, says Abinaya Krishnaraja, CEO of ConServ. She founded the business together with her husband Adhithiyan Pandian.

Huge market

Takeaway meals are very common in many countries. There are eco-friendly boxes made from agricultural byproducts already on the market, but real eco-friendly products are lacking, according to Abinaya Krishnaraja.

– While digging deeper into the subject, we discovered that most types of so-called eco-friendly products function well only because they are coated with plastics to with standsauces. Some even contain harmful chemicals to bind the eco-friendly fibers together. As today's boxes contain multiple materials, they cannot be reused or recycled. The field is still in its infancy, she says.

ConServ´s bowl and lid are 100 percent biodegradable and consist of only one material – a Areca palm tree leaf from India. Areca palm trees are not grown for palm oil but for Arecanuts that is consumed significantly in India. The leaf is formed into the desired shape by special heat and pressure treatment. One single leaf is enough to make 3-4 boxes. The product is certified to meet EU food safety regulations.

– Some special features of these leaves are that they are robust, leak-proof, and oven and freezer safe. We will start selling our product to restaurants and cafés in Skåne, and then expand to the rest of Sweden and Denmark. It is a huge market. As consumers demand more sustainable products, we may need to educate our customers about the issues, if they are unaware of them.

The boxes will be manufactured by a family business in India, where also the leaves are collected.

Why are you starting to commercialize in Sweden?

– Me and my husband founded the company here after settling in Skåne. Since I graduated from my master's program in Germany four years ago, I've been working on my PhD at Lund University in Sweden. In India, we are trying to support minority communities by letting them help us collect leaves and produce boxes. Medeon is a great fit for us, since it focuses on healthcare, an area that our product touches – chemicals in packaging are harmful. In addition to receiving very helpful support from Medeon, our coach also has extensive experience in international sales and marketing, says Abinaya Krishnaraja.

Webbpage: https://www.conserv.se