The potato was firstly domesticated by the Incas around 8 000 years ago and is widely know for it’s versatile properties. More than 5 000 varieties of the potato exist , and the vegetable is considered to be an essential element in different cuisines across all corners of the world.

The starchy properties of the potato makes it an interesting material to look at. Potato starch is already widely used in bio degradable packaging, but there are also examples of potatos being used as a material in both product design and in building materials.

Peel Saver Potato peel is made up of starches and fiber components that are able to bond with each other and harden, making it a versatile starting point for the development of different materials.

Italian designers Simone Caronni, Paolo Stefano Gentile, and Pietro Gaeli have created a fully biodegradable material for packaging fries - finishing the circle, being a packaging for fries made from the original “packaging” of the potatoes. The designers sum it up nicely; “Peel Saver shows a different point of view, a return to simplicity and to what nature already designed for us”.

Chip[s]Board
Chip[s]Board is a London-based producer, founded by Rowan Minkley and Rob Nicoll. As a response to the pressure on the industry to come up with more sustainable solutions, they developed a new bioplastic material. It consists of potato waste and is called ParblexTM Plastics [PBX]. The material is natural and organic, based on a cradle-to-cradle philosophy, without compromising the aspects of functionality or aesthetics. It is a sustainable alternative to chipboard and MDF and can be used to construct temporary and permanent structures.

Potato Plastic
A third potato-based project is Potato Plastic. Pontus Törnqvist from Lund University has made another biodegradable material meant to replace one-time-use products such as plastic cutlery. It is made of potato starch and will decompose to nutrients for the soil when it ends up back in nature. The composition is simply water and potato starch, and the properties of the material are adaptable through adjustments of the ratio between the two components, the heating, and the choice of molds.

Dissolvable ramen packaging
Holly Grounds, a graduate in product design at Ravensbourne University, has found yet another use for the potato. Using glycerin, water the starch from the potato, she has developed a new type of packaging for instant noodles. The initial flavorless material is infused with spices and dissolves when in contact with water, transforming itself into a sauce for the noodles.

The project was inspired by the long nights of studying while eating instant ramen and was developed in her own kitchen. Many bio-based films need a minimum of 50 degrees Celcius in industrial composers in order to break down. Thus, many consumers believe that they are choosing a more sustainable alternative, while in reality, the most common outcomes are mainly greenwashing of the companies behind the products. On the other hand, Grounds' wrapping dissolves in the presence of the consumer, leaving nothing to coincidence.

The Guardian
Lastly, we have The Guardian. The UK national newspaper has a weekend edition containing different supplements, and has traditionally been sealed in a protecting plastic wrap. The new packaging on the other hand is not only made from natural materials - namely potato starch - it is also decomposable. This means that should not be recycled, but simply disposed in a compost heap, or a garden waste bin. The appearance of the material is a semi-matte, translucent finish. According to the producers, the packaging is said to completely compost within half a year.

Material Alchemy #3: The Noble Potato