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Biohm’s coffee and orange waste lampshades pave the way to greener living

Biohm, a UK-based research and development led, biomanufacturing company, creates the most ingenious products that are made from waste, yet generate no waste.

by Aditi Sharma MaheshwariPublished on : Dec 11, 2021

Did you know that according to the sustainability researcher Gunter Pauli, global coffee production creates an excess of 23 million tons of waste per year? And, orange production generates approximately five million tons of waste. Makes you wonder about your contribution to the planet's health? Thankfully, a few forerunners are here to lead the way. And as they say, one man's waste is another man's treasure. London-based biotech and biomanufacturing startup, Biohm, truly proves the adage right. Their latest range of lampshades, Obscure, are eco-friendly, 100 per cent natural, and made from coffee chaff and orange peel.

  • The brand ensures that the production does not contribute to landfill | Sustainable Design | Biohm | STIRworld
    The brand ensures that the production does not contribute to landfill Image: Courtesy of Biohm
  • These are ethically-sourced and locally-fabricated sustainable products | Sustainable Products| Biohm | STIRworld
    These are ethically-sourced and locally-fabricated sustainable products Image: Courtesy of Biohm

The brand's approach is to apply principles of ecological laws of nature, to create products that innovate across the entire manufacturing life cycle. In this case, by incorporating up to three kilograms of waste orange peel or coffee chaff and capturing up to 1.5 kg of carbon, each model acts as buffer, diverting waste away from landfill.

  • Orange production generates approximately five million tonnes of waste around the globe | Sustainable Design | Biohm | STIRworld
    Orange production generates approximately five million tonnes of waste around the globe Image: Courtesy of Biohm
  • Biohm uses a material called Orb, or organic refuse biocompound, made of food and agricultural bioproducts with a plant-based binder, to create these lampshades | Sustainable Design | Biohm | STIRworld
    Biohm uses a material called Orb, or organic refuse biocompound, made of food and agricultural bioproducts with a plant-based binder, to create these lampshades Image: Courtesy of Biohm
  • These lamps can be cold composted or recycled back into the same production process | Sustainable Products | Biohm | STIRworld
    These lamps can be cold composted or recycled back into the same production process Image: Courtesy of Biohm
  • To reduce the company's carbon footprint, their supply chain is hyper-localised and the production process is closed-loop | Sustainable Design | Biohm | STIRworld
    To reduce the company's carbon footprint, their supply chain is hyper-localised and the production process is closed-loop Image: Courtesy of Biohm

The lampshades are made from a material devised by the company, called Orb or organic refuse biocompound. This compound is made up of food and agricultural by-products and a plant-based binder, that can be formed into sheets or moulded into products. What's better is that these lampshades can be fed back into the production process of Orb to make new products. Or they can be cold-composted. "There has never been a more critical time to be doing the work we do at Biohm. Recent events have emphasised how our economies and systems are flawed and unsustainable and that we need to immediately implement radical and regenerative biotechnologies delivered through equitable and compassionate business models to make leaps in the fight against the climate crisis,” avers Ehab Sayed, Founder, Director of Innovation, Biohm.

Every Obscure lampshade is produced with a clearly defined purpose | Sustainable Design | Biohm | STIRworld
Every Obscure lampshade is produced with a clearly defined purpose Image: Courtesy of Biohm

Each of these beauties are produced on demand at BIOHM headquarters in South Bermondsey in London. To reduce the company's carbon footprint further, their supply chain is hyper-localised and the production process is closed-loop—no waste streams or by-products are created with the production. Also, the products are made with a ‘Just-In-Time’ or ‘On-Demand’ approach to make sure that every Obscure lampshade is produced with a clearly defined purpose.

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