Shellworks

Want to help shape the future of biomaterials? 🧫🌱 Join us at Shellworks, where we're on a mission to revolutionise the world of sustainable packaging. We're looking for a dynamic Biomaterial Scientist to join our innovative team! As a Biomaterial Scientist at Shellworks, you'll play a crucial role in developing cutting-edge biomaterial formulations that pave the way for a waste-free future. If you're passionate about pushing the boundaries of sustainable materials and thrive in a collaborative environment, we want to hear from you - https://lnkd.in/gizABsV8

Thanks for the support Sam Bentley - showcasing that sustainability doesn't have to mean compromise! Stay tuned - Lots more to come this year! 🧫 If you're struggling to make your packaging more sustainable, contact us at hello@theshellworks.com to see how we can help.

It’s that time of year, so let’s take a minute to reflect. Over the last couple of years, we’ve been working closely with nature to create solutions that reimagine how we make, use and dispose of plastic. We’ve now reached a huge milestone having created over half a million pieces of #Vivomer packaging parts. This means that we’ve prevented the production of 25 tonnes of petroleum-derived plastic, eliminating the impact that this would have had on human, animal and environmental health. We’re incredibly proud of the material difference that we’re making right now. But it’s only just a dent - we need your help. As we dive into a new year, we encourage you to question the end-of-life of the products that you love. If you’re a brand looking to transition to a regenerative packaging solution then get in touch and let’s kick start the year right. Contact us at hello@theshellworks.com. #biomaterials #sustainablepackaging

The Plastic Pollution Treaty is an opportunity to create a global solution to the plastics crisis. This initiative from the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), is a global, legally binding treaty to end plastic pollution, from production to waste management. This treaty will facilitate global action from signatory countries to tackle the plastic pollution crisis head on, similar to the approach taken in the Paris Climate Agreement on climate change. The treaty intends to “[address] the full lifecycle of plastic, including its production, design and disposal.” (UNEP). Through adopting a circular economy approach to plastics, the treaty plans to end plastic pollution, including in the marine environment, and to protect human health and the environment, whilst contributing to sustainable development. As a legally binding agreement, the UNEP Plastic Pollution Treaty has the potential to transform the world’s relationship to plastic waste. So, what’s next? The next step in the negotiation process will happen at INC-4, April 2024 in Ottawa, Canada.

Over 11 million tonnes of plastic waste flow into the ocean every year. To put that into context, we’re talking about the equivalent of: ● 11 million small cars ● 22 million grand pianos ● 1089 thousand Eiffel towers What’s more, is that without urgent action, this number is expected to triple in the next twenty years. This would mean that we can expect 23-37 million tonnes of plastic to be entering our ocean by 2040. The impact of this is enormous. Plastic waste is being mistaken by animals as food. For example, Sea Turtles mistake plastic bags as jellyfish which slowly fills their stomachs with indigestible trash. This is endangering marine life and aquatic ecosystems. Plastics don’t biodegrade, rather, they break down into smaller pieces known as microplastics that are toxic to marine life (as well as impacting human and environmental health). We need immediate collective action to reduce the production and consumption of unnecessary virgin plastic. As the UNEP have said; “we are all in this together, and together, we can, we must solve the marine litter and plastic pollution problem.” Source: UNEP, 2021

Vivomer is officially food-safe. Our material, Vivomer, is now compliant with the EU regulation 10/2011 meaning that our products are certified for the long-term storage of all foods. This opens up huge opportunities for what Vivomer can be used for when it comes to packaging, across all categories. Vivomer can be moulded into almost any shape and we welcome new challenges. So, if you have a project in mind then get in touch and let’s make it happen: hello@theshellworks.com

‘Designing for the real world’... Makerversity, at Somerset House, has launched an exhibition to showcase innovation projects that sit at the intersection of design, engineering and the digital world. The exhibition celebrates over thirty of Makerversity’s creators, both past and present, whose creations are shaping the world. As previous Makerversity residents, we’re incredibly proud to be involved to demonstrate the potential of sustainable materials through the display of our bio-based, home-compostable material Vivomer. Curated by Makerversity Director and Co-Founder, Paul Smyth, the exhibition features award-winning successes from a diverse range of inspiring companies such as AMPHICO, Modern Synthesis and Enayball. By capturing the journey from ideation through to real-life application, Makerversity highlight its progressive, problem-solving ethos that lies at the heart of its community. The exhibition is open until 4th Feb 2024 at Somerset House. Make sure to pop down during the festive period!

We’ve always been driven to tackle the hard problems. And fragrance caps are just that. They might be small but they have huge impact on our environment. In partnership with Sana Jardin, we’ve created the world’s first home-compostable fragrance cap 💫 Despite what people might think, fragrance caps are actually too small to be sorted in recycling systems, meaning that almost all fragrance caps end up in landfill. Further problems relate to internal linings that are used to ensure perfect closure or weighting mechanisms that can’t be easily separated in order to be responsibly disposed of. With Sana Jardin’s mission to harness the power of commerce for social good by giving fragrance lovers the opportunity to be conscious consumers, it became clear that a solution was needed to resolve the waste generated from fragrance packaging. Keeping performance and aesthetic in mind, we set about creating a Vivomer cap to set a new standard for luxury beauty. Vivomer, our bio-based material, is made and unmade by microbes. This means that once disposed of, naturally occurring microbes in the environment will see it as a food source and enzymatically break it down, leaving no microplastics behind. The Vivomer x Sana Jardin cap was driven by design and moments of joy, whilst also considering both people and the planet in the process. As two companies whose values are seamlessly aligned on developing a more circular economy, we’re proud to be partnering to change the way people use and dispose of fragrance caps. #madeandunmadebymicrobes #compostablepackaging #sustainableluxury

Pigments are one of the most overlooked elements of today’s packaging, resulting in irreversible impacts on the environment, wildlife and society (if not sourced correctly). They play an important role in the storytelling of civilisation, helping us to make sense of the world and bring personality to narratives. But, why are they so problematic? ⚫ They can be toxic to environment, human and animal health ⚫ There’s a lack of pigment supply chain transparency and clarity ⚫ There’s a continued dependence on petrochemicals that contribute to global warming At Shellworks, when we approach developing new colours, we do our best to ethically source pigments that are petroleum-free, compostable and vegan. Have a read of our latest blog to find out more: https://lnkd.in/eCxWBeu8

We’re edie net-zero finalists! Vivomer has made the shortlist for the Innovation of the Year: Projects and Products award. We’re so proud to be recognised as pioneers, amongst other inspirational companies including CarbonFree and Halocell. Stay tuned… #NetZeroAwards