An innovative Dutch company called GoodHout was among the start-ups vying for funding at the CleanEquity Monaco 2020 event, held both physically and virtually via EarthX, from October 22 to 23.
GoodHout uses sustainably sourced coconut waste to make an alternative to tropical hardwoods. Its dynamic CEO Silvia ten Houten, who founded the company in 2014, calls the 100% composite material “the new bamboo”.
This bio-based material has a luxurious finish with “endless applications” for flooring, interiors, etc, and is twice as hard as ebony. It is naturally fire-retardant and scratch-resistant and will be 3D-moldable.
The launch customer is a fashion accessories producer in Italy which has turned this natural material into handbag clasps and eyelets, presenting the results at the recent Lineapelle trade fair in Milan.
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| Photo: CleanEquity Monaco 2020 |
GoodHout also aims to enter the green building industry, supplying global decorative laminates.
“Our coconut husk material exudes luxury and design. We use no added chemicals; we’re not a greenwashed product at all,” she told the CleanEquity audience.
ten Houten is half-Indonesian and set up GoodHout (Hout means wood in Dutch) after she saw piles of unused coconut husk waste attracting snakes during her visits to the country. With this in mind, she also seeks to “make the world a better place” by establishing a fair trade supply chain with local farmers. “We believe in giving back to the community. We want to set up a charity for kids, set up micro-financing for the local women, and offer micro-insurance. We aim to promote gender equality in Southeast Asia. We want to be the most successful social enterprise ever – saving the world, one coconut at a time,” she enthused.
Expect to hear much more of GoodHout, within the design industry and beyond.
On the final day of the event, the CleanEquity Monaco 2020 awards were presented by Prince Albert, Chairman of the judging panel. The trophies were designed by French artist Samuel de Gunzburg, who lives and works in London.
The environmental tech research award went to Olombria, for its crop pollination innovations, with GoodHout the runner-up. Metron, an energy management firm, took the development award, with polystyrene recycling specialist Polystyvert in second place. The commercialisation accolade went to OrganoClick, which produces bio-based binders for nonwoven and technical textiles. Envelio, the provider of an Intelligent Grid Platform enabling the next phase of the energy transition, was the runner-up.
CleanEquity is hosted by Innovator Capital, the London-based specialist investment bank, focusing on health and sustainable technology innovation.
