Page 27 - Economy_Local Development

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Best Practice n.1

Elena Dieckmann and Ryan Robinson, co-founders, Aeropowder

Elena Dieckmann and Ryan Robinson are the co-founders of Aeropowder, an award-winning UK startup
producing plummo, a thermal packaging material made from waste feathers from the poultry industry. The
entrepreneurs created plummo as a sustainable alternative to expandable polystyrene insulation, which has
a devastating impact on the environment. Using the surplus feathers, which would otherwise be converted
into a low grade animal feed, Aeropowder creates a high performance insulation textile covered with
compostable food-grade liners, enabling more sustainable deliveries and embracing a circular economy.

Best Practice n. 2

Iseult Ward and Aoibheann O’Brien, co-founders, FoodCloud

Iseult Ward and Aoibheann O’Brien are the founders of FoodCloud, a Dublin-based online platform and app
connecting British and Irish businesses with surplus food to local charities. Food retailers on the FoodCloud
system upload descriptions of surplus dry and canned goods, and registered charities then receive
a notification telling them that food is available for collection. FoodCloud also maintains storage Hubs to
receive ad-hoc and regular surplus food from suppliers. The FoodCloud service and the surplus food is free
for charities collecting from their local food retailer, and all food collected from the Hubs is available at
operational cost. To date, the social enterprise has saved approximately 20 thousand tonnes of food, saving
charities more than €61.5 million.

Source: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCQevxDsQOjtWd-8IxM8XXfA