Acoustic panels and dividers help improve the atmosphere in rooms by absorbing sound and reducing noise. Normally these products are made of virgin materials and can be difficult to recycle at the end of their lifecycle.

Sven Erni wanted to solve this problem and therefore co-founded Impact Acoustic . This start-up uses waste as a resource and designs circular acoustic products. Impact Acoustic’s latest product is entirely made of cotton fibres deemed too short to make yarn and thus were disposed of in the past.

In this episode, Sven talks about why Impact Acoustic was founded, how they use recycled PET bottles as a raw material, and what the impact would be on the company if the world stopped using plastic.

How can you prepare a good cup of coffee when you are outdoors – say on a mountain hike or ski tour – without bringing much equipment or creating lots of waste? With a coffee paste from the tube, say Alexander Haberlin and Philippe Greinacher, the two founders of No Normal Coffee. This start-up aims to offer a premium coffee for every outdoor occasion – in the mountains, woods, or anywhere else. The objective of No Normal Coffee is to redefine outdoor coffee and make it more sustainable. Alex and Philippe talk about the founding story of No Normal Coffee, how they developed their product as newcomers to the coffee industry, and the ways in which No Normal Coffee promotes sustainability.

Seaweed represents one of the most abundant biomass resources on earth. It also grows ten times faster than land plants, captures CO2, and produces oxygen for humans and other species. Despite being a renewable resource, the potential of seaweed is not used often in the production of goods. Jessica Farda, co-founder and CEO at Noriware, wants to change this. Her start-up has developed a new seaweed-based packaging solution. Noriware uses one hundred per cent natural materials that are free from toxic substances, fully biodegradable and compostable at home. With this product, Jessica’s start-up aims to significantly reduce the carbon footprint and water use compared to conventional plastic packaging. In this episode, Jessica talks about how Noriware was founded, why she decided to use seaweed for packaging, and a failed experiment that helped with product development.