Turning food and farm byproducts into compostable fibres

A Canadian start-up that makes compostable fibres out of farm and food byproducts has won The Green Pursuit, a national sustainability and innovation challenge hosted by Dairy Farmers of Canada and Bioenterprise Canada.

Why it matters: The global menstrual product market, estimated to be a $67.8 billion industry, is an opportunity to provide women with a sustainable alternative as well as offering new value streams for farm and food byproducts.

Aruna Revolution of Nova Scotia takes home the $45,000 grand prize for its unique approach to transforming some of Canada’s 35.5 million tonnes of annual agricultural byproduct and food industry waste — like canola stalks, corn stover, leaves, pulps and peels — into 100 per cent biodegradable, compostable, plastic-free menstrual pads.

“This is a unique opportunity to turn waste into wellness and redirect farm and food waste into fibre extraction,” says Aruna co-founder Rashmi Prakash.

“My background is in biomedical engineering. There is a lot of waste in that industry, so I was always looking for ways to improve this and in speaking with farmers, we made the connection that we can add more value.”

The Aruna team has developed a proprietary fibre extraction process as well as a novel, leak-proof pad layer where natural fibres play a key role. Much of their research and development has focused on characterizing fibre properties instead of identifying specific plants or crops that could work well for their products.

Because they’ve established the impact of fibre length, crimps and diameter, their process can use a wide range of different raw feedstocks — even invasive species like cat tails.

According to Prakash, a facility is being built in Nova Scotia, with the products expected to come to launch next year. She hopes a new Canadian government mandate that requires federally regulated employers to provide free menstrual products in their facilities will be one way for the company to build ongoing revenue through a monthly subscription program.

Currently, Aruna is sourcing fibres in Nova Scotia from local farmers but as the company grows, she expects to look for fibre suppliers across Canada.

“Because of the scale of menstrual products needed, we will need a wide variety of materials, and as we scale up and set up micro-manufacturing facilities in different parts of the country, we can use more local fibres,” she says, adding interested farmers or food processors can contact the company directly to explore possible supply agreements.

“We’re a proud Canadian company and want to support Canadian farmers while making healthcare products more affordable and safer for body and planet.”

Advanced AgriScience from British Columbia was the competition’s runner-up, winning $5,000 for its solution to the challenge of frost damage in the agriculture sector, particularly fruit and vegetable production.

The national business pitch competition was open to Canadian early-stage companies focused on sustainability in agriculture, food, and beverage production innovation. Interest was strong; it attracted entries from all provinces and one territory, with nine teams taking part in a fully bilingual virtual pitch event on Oct. 5.

“At Dairy Farmers of Canada, we have a vested interest in sustainability, and we believe innovation will help us reach our (DFC) net zero 2050 goal,” noted Tania Crecco, head of corporate partnerships at DFC during the pitch finale.

DFC is a sustainable innovation partner with Bioenterprise Canada, a national agri-technology focused business and commercialization accelerator that specializes in supporting late-stage start-up companies to bring proven technologies to market.

“We continue to see increasing urgency to address the food, environment and climate concerns we see in the world and there are numerous pathways forward to address these challenges in ways that will have impacts socially, environmentally and economically,” added Aaron Misener, director of strategic communications with Bioenterprise, during his pitch remarks.

“We recognize that new technologies moving to market still face barriers of lacking business support and significant risk on adopters and adapters, and Bioenterprise is building a national vision for all innovators and entrepreneurs to de-risk and validate innovation.”