We want you! Come bring your technical expertise to our Apple Leather development. Create something truly amazing for the B2B Sustainable Fashion market. Research and experiment with us in our lab, let's make a biodegradable high performance material that is strong and useful! - from food waste!!! You'll work with us at Symbion in Østerbro and at Teknologisk Institut in Taastrup.

Video Pitch: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=29vGM7EghtA&t=1s

Company Size: We're a startup with 2 founders, 3 employees, 1 intern, 1 mentor, several researchers + suppliers. 

Product: We sell an alternative to leather by the meter.

Development Stage: Proof of Concept

MVP: 6 months

BACKGROUND

We turn apples into leather.

We're a biotechnology company upcycling resource streams in food production.

Today there's a need for alternative materials. Traditional material producers overlook waste management and use harmful ingredients, affecting agriculture, livestock, and consumer wellbeing. Customers have warranted health and sustainability concerns. To address these issues in a circular economy context we upcycle tons of food waste accumulated in pressing apples for cider and juice. Users of our product gain an upgraded material experience with original Apple Leather. It's 100% biodegradable-in-nature "leather" Apple Material. This is the future - a new circular alternative to conventional animal leather, paper packaging, or even plastic.

Apple Leather all the qualities of animal leather with none of the costs to the environment and workers health. Our simple process, using the waste in juice and cider production is cost-effective. We acquire this waste directly from the producer for a low cost by the ton. To turn animal skin into leather it takes over 20 steps in 10 days. Our process takes only 4 steps, complete in just 1 day. With these facts we could produce our material even cheaper and faster than the leather industry produces animal leather. Furthermore, no animals are harmed in our production, and we use only eco-friendly chemicals and ingredients. Our material has the potential to be the first 100% biodegradable alternative to animal leather on the market.

Apple Leather can be both rigid or highly flexible with an enchanting handle and unique story. It can be rolled out thick or thin, and it has the potential to be used across industries. We have 5 materials in our portfolio with different tactilities and colors.

We are founded on the UN’s 17 Sustainable Development goals, specifically #12 Responsible Production and Consumption and #13 Climate Action.

We plan to protect the idea with patent, something you could also be involved in, based on new technologies we develop in the production process and in the recipe. The recipe includes apple pulp waste, ingredient X (organic food waste), sugar, and water. We're actively searching for technical team members and hands to contribute to the development of apple leather.

TASKS

Investigating the material from a scientific perspective, evaluating it's mechanical and physical properties.  

Get Apple Material ready for use as a leather alternative in bags and accessories! 

• Conduct experiments in surface modification for water resistance and increasing tear strength.
• Develop, validate, and implement new analysis methods.
• Take part in physical-chemical testing of formulations, certification of analytical reference materials, and method validations.
• Take part in instrument maintenance and instrument qualification in collaboration with Teknologisk Institut's laboratory technicians.

You are:

• Have hands-on experience working in a research or industrial laboratory
• Able to adapt to new requirements and be flexible, eager and willing to learn new areas of research
• Knowledgeable in analytical chemistry, organic chemistry and/or formulation work.
• Have knowledgable of complex samples and biological matrices and/or formulation work.
• Experience and professional working competency with Microsoft Excel, Google sheets.
• Structured, pragmatic, and tenacious!
• You have an analytical and determined mind-set, and you can work independently.
• It is important that you communicate well and can build relations to our small but very diverse team.
• Education: A PhD or MA in Chemical Engineering or related field completed within the last five years or soon to be completed is required.

Education: A PhD or MA in Materials Science, Materials Engineering, or related field completed within the last five years or soon to be completed is required.

We can offer you: a fun work environment with cake, free hot cocoa or coffee/tea, lunch, and did we mention lots of cake?!!

Contact for more info: CEO, Hannah Michaud hannahm@theapplegirl.org / 5382 4768