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The Swiss start-up NaturLoop has won the SEIF Award 2021 for responsible business. NaturLoop is part of the growing community of young European enterprises that integrate impact considerations into their technologies and business models. As a leader in change and promoter of trust in transformation, PwC Switzerland supports the SEIF initiative «Tech for impact» and congratulates NaturLoop on the award.
Smart solutions for a smart transformation
Founded in 2020 by Daniel Dinizo and Michail Kyriazopoulos, NaturLoop offers intelligent production solutions for the manufacturing of innovative and sustainable biocomposites using local resources – and is thus a real driver of transformation towards a more sustainable economy and society. Specifically, the company transforms coconut husks into sustainable biocomposites (Cocoboard®). By using coconut husks instead of wood, the start-up based in the Swiss city of Biel aims to reduce deforestation, increase the local availability of furniture and building materials, improve farmers' livelihoods, and promote a circular economy.
Having a wood technology background, Daniel and Michail have long been fascinated by the possibilities of renewable materials. It was their curiosity and deep passion for materials that led to the founding of NaturLoop: « Wood is functional and fascinating, but in some places also a scarce renewable resource. We wanted to apply the knowledge and technology gained in our studies to create new and renewable furniture and building materials that offer the same functions as conventional ones.»
The biocomposite that NaturLoop produces have the potential to make a big impact on the environment, as they are made by upcycling agricultural waste and therefore have no additional environmental footprint. NaturLoop’s present customers are wholesalers buying wood panels and furniture companies that are expanding their product development.
«Transformation succeeds when a great, curious team, guided by moral values, comes together to create a vision for the future.»
Biocomposites: high potential ahead
«The industrial use of biocomposites is just beginning. We are currently testing their potential, but they simply make too much sense not to have a great future», Daniel explains. Similar to organic food, the production costs of biocomposites are higher than traditional furniture and building materials. Natural adhesives, for example, are more expensive than synthetic equivalents that contain environmentally harmful and potentially toxic substances like formaldehyde. Customers currently pay the premium – but they could be rewarded not only by environmental but also economic benefits, as regulation at national and international level tends to become stricter on pollutant emissions.
To make sustainable furniture and building materials more affordable and their supply scalable, all processes need to be efficient, from supply chain to manufacturing. NaturLoop needs to further establish efficient and sustainable supply chains, which is currently using up a lot of the company's resources.
In this context, entering partnerships and validating production processes is a particular challenge – sometimes a painful experience that NaturLoop shares with most other start-ups. Finding an industrial partner in the Philippines, where NaturLoop will build its first factory, was proven to be difficult. The first partnership, which was somewhat opaque from the start, had to be dissolved because the partner was unwilling to adhere to NaturLoop's strategy. «But this experience had a happy ending. We quickly found a new partner who shares our values, and as a team we learned to trust our intuition», Daniel explains. He also points out the importance of trust, as entering a partnership means not only sharing assets or facilities, but also knowledge, technology, and vision.
Circularity inspires trust
As the company name suggests, NaturLoop follows a circular business model in which existing raw materials are used, reused, upgraded, and recycled at the end of their life. Circularity is a relatively new concept and has the advantage, in addition to the obvious environmental and economic benefits, that it meets the ever-increasing demand of customers, communities, and society at large for sustainable business models. Additionally, circularity inspires trust among partners and customers.
For the transition to a more sustainable future, innovation technology plays a crucial role. Daniel elaborates: «Innovation forces the management team to liaise with all stakeholders of a project, the environment included, and make quality decisions to move forward. In traditional economic models, decisions are driven by costs and volume. By re-examining how we do things, we can get closer to self-sufficiency». Also, the collaboration between science and businesses can accelerate this transition. Science creates simplified solutions through complex processes, and businesses are the vehicles to implement and scale these scientific ideas into sustainable products and services – a topic that Daniel deeply cares about. Since scaling takes up resources, a business framework is necessary to sustain implementation.
A vision for a more sustainable world
And what is Daniel’s vision for a more sustainable world? A sustainable world gives all access to what they need and allows everyone to be part of a thriving ecosystem. It is a place where we don't take more than we need and use what we already have. If our purchases have an ecological price tag, I believe people will make smarter choices.
«Cleantechs are sources of inspiration. By using science and technology, we can evolve as a society without further damaging our planet and depleting the remaining resources.»
About NaturLoop
NaturLoop, a spin-off of the Bern University of Applied Sciences (Institute of Materials and Wood Technology), was founded by Daniel Dinizo (CEO) and Michail Kyriazopoulos (CTO). The company produces biocomposites for furniture and building materials based on coconut husks which are wastes from agriculture. NaturLoop aims to build its first Cocoboard® factory in the Philippines by the end of 2022. The team is currently finalising the production concept and working on exclusive supply contracts, pre-sales orders, and a funding round. NaturLoop also plans to launch new pilot projects to test and promote Cocoboard® in furniture applications.
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