first conceived by roza janusz, ‘SCOBY’ has been further explored by makegrowlab in an effort to provide an alternative to traditional packaging materials. by developing their own growing and fabrication process using a sustainable circular production, the team has created a substance made from local agricultural waste that can be used for food storage and later composted just like vegetables.

all images courtesy of makegrowlab

by developing the SCOBY project, makegrowlab is striving to address the pressing issue of pollution caused by petroleum-based products, leather, cotton, and several other mass produced materials. packaging, which can stay intact for hundreds of years, may only be used to wrap a product that lasts a few minutes. in answer to this, the team has developed the mass production process of organic material that is durable and edible and aims to provide zero-waste packaging that won’t pollute the environment.

the material can be grown locally anywhere in the world, with little space and local resources. it also creates a great oxygen barrier, which is the main reason why many products are stored in plastic and not paper, and helps to re-generate the soil after being composted.

SCOBY packaging is a product of makegrowlab, a design, and ecological consulting studio – their mission is to start a ‘biorevolution’ by transforming waste into precious materials and products. by combining multi-level perspectives from designers, scientists, and micro-organisms, they aim to work together to grow safer alternatives to petroleum-based products.

project info:

project name: SCOBY packaging

design: makegrowlab

designboom has received this project from our ‘DIY submissions‘ feature, where we welcome our readers to submit their own work for publication. see more project submissions from our readers here.

edited by: lynne myers | designboom