Could onion skins be the future of packaging? This start-up thinks so!

A start-up based in Oban is working on sustainable packaging solutions using onion skins to reduce waste and emissions.

HUID, led by CEO Renuka Ramanujam, sources onion peel from farms to create materials similar to cardboard and flexible film.

Onion skins’ natural anti-microbial properties may extend the shelf life of perishable goods. The packaging is made by extracting cellulose from the skins and combining it with a biopolymer blend to reduce the impact of the UK's plastic waste problem.

The company is supported by the National Manufacturing Institute Scotland.

Renuka Ramanujam said: Onion skins are nature’s own form of packaging, protecting the onion below from harm and are a plentiful waste source. Yet, after speaking to various scientists I realised that no one was using them as a material and spotted a gap in the market for a new variety of eco-friendly packaging.

HUID hope to launch their first product next year - paper made entirely from onion skins.