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Ryan Robinson, a Sustainability Entrepreneur, is the Founder and CEO of Aeropowder, a startup that creates sustainable thermal packaging from surplus feathers. 

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Aeropowder’s innovative solution involves repurposing surplus feathers to create an alternative to Expanded Polystyrene (EPS). This product, named Pluumo, is marketed as the world’s first thermal packaging solution made from surplus feathers. It offers a more environmentally friendly alternative to traditional insulation materials and outperforms EPS, allowing items to remain colder and fresher for longer during transportation and storage. By incorporating sustainable practices and superior performance, Aeropowder aims to contribute to a more sustainable future within the cold chain industry. 

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Innovation Challenge: A Platform for Diversity and Opportunity  

Ryan’s key takeaways from the Innovation Challenge were the genuine diversity in the range of solutions across multiple categories, highlighting a remarkable pool of talent. The conference gave him a valuable platform to share insights on stage, leading to meaningful interactions and opportunities with the other attendees. Additionally, the experience highlighted the positive impact of the conference, especially when given the chance to articulate and share one’s story directly with the audience.

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Following the event, they connected with a few pharmaceutical companies, including GlaxoSmithKline (GSK) and Merck (MSD). Following on meetings have now occurred, with such companies requesting samples of the product and discussing next steps towards trials within their supply chains. The credibility gained from winning at the MSDUK Innovation Challenge has significantly boosted prospects for Aeropowder, serving as a tangible starting point for future endeavours. 

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Sustainable Development Category Winner  

Winning the Sustainable Development Category was a fantastic experience for Aeropowder, serving as a significant validation for their ongoing efforts. This achievement encourages them to persist in their endeavours and provides a solid foundation upon which they can build. The prize money of £2,500 was used for technical testing. Once testing has been completed, the results of this test will serve as a validation point for Aeropowder’s project. This validation, backed by third-party accreditation, will be used to engage the pharmaceutical industry. 

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“Our focus will involve leveraging this recognition and our conference interactions to initiate and follow up on conversations with industry stakeholders. Being acknowledged as the Sustainable Development Category winner by MSDUK and our conference participation proves invaluable in overcoming industry hesitancy and paving the way for adopting innovative solutions,” states Ryan. Ryan emphasises that what sets Aeropowder apart is its unique and distinctive features, touching on several topics that resonate with people, such as waste reduction and the value of replacing plastics. It also serves as a demonstration of their ability to disrupt the industry. 

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Future Endeavours for Aeropowder 

Over the next few years, Aeropowder aims to collaborate with major corporate pharmaceutical healthcare businesses and organisations to enable them to decarbonise and reduce single-use plastic from their supply chains, which will lead to an exciting future for the business. 

“We’ve supplied thermal packaging to early-stage food clients in the direct-to-consumer food sector. Now, recognising the ground-breaking potential of our technology, we are gearing up to enter the pharmaceutical industry”, affirms Ryan. 

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An Invitation to Innovate: Ryan’s Advice 

Ryan extends a compelling invitation to ethnic minority founders: “Apply for the Innovation Challenge. You’ll never know how far you can go unless you take that leap.” He adds, “any business would be fortunate to be a part of this influential conference, which was full of decision makers and those who are looking to make positive impacts, like uplifting minority-owned businesses or improving the environment.”