SUSTAINABILITY

We collaborated with the Sustainability Research Institute (SRI) at the University of East London, leveraging the data we've collected over the past 6 months from our research projects.

 

Using our custom-designed Carbon Calculator and insights from growers, we can demonstrate the amount of carbon you can save. This helps in creating indoor farms that are exceptionally sustainable.

 

To showcase their commitment to sustainability, companies need to assess the overall impact of their products throughout their lifespan using a process called Life Cycle Analysis (LCA).

 

We conducted a comparison between GyroCup and the leading and newest substrates available in the market. Our findings reveal that compared to the next most sustainable substrate, GyroCup can result in a reduction of carbon emissions by over 80%, and in some cases, even up to 98%.

 

Our LCA takes various factors into consideration, including carbon emissions from manufacturing, transportation, packaging, and product replacement. The rapid accumulation of carbon emissions occurs with single-use substrates. GyroCup's reusability significantly mitigates carbon emissions.

 

We're actively researching and quantifying other environmental impacts related to single-use substrates, such as deforestation and safeguarding biodiversity. While Controlled Environment Agriculture (CEA) provides unique opportunities for widespread food cultivation, it often relies on substrates sourced from environmentally sensitive regions. Despite the initial appearance of environmentally friendly organic substrates, there are hidden costs associated with their production. Moreover, the packaging of these substrates contributes substantial embodied carbon, sometimes exceeding that of the substrate itself!  Eliminating the need for substrates reduces carbon emissions, waste, and the ecological harm caused by material sourcing for single-use substrates.

 

Our products are made of silicone, sourced from silicates that comprise 95% of the Earth's crust. Similar to the concept of using a reusable metal bottle instead of a single-use plastic one, our products' extended usability is more environmentally sound. Many companies when calculating their environmental impact only consider Carbon. Unfortunately this is just one of many sustainability factors to consider, and can lead to 'Carbon tunnel vision':

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Carbon tunnel vision [2]. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pgph.0001684.g001

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GyroPlant is focused on providing a reusable substrate alternative with numerous positive effects for agriculture and the environment. Let's break down the benefits you've outlined:
 

1. Zero Toxicity to Food: Ensuring that substrate is non-toxic to plants and edible food - essential for food safety and consumer health. 

2. Biodiversity Protection: Avoiding the use of materials from biodiverse-rich areas is a crucial step in preserving natural ecosystems and biodiversity.

3. Eutrophication Prevention: The fact that no chemicals are required to clean GyroCups eliminates local water pollution. 

4. Hydrophobic Surface: GyroCup's hydrophobic surface made from unique silicone material composition helps conserve water drastically compared to plastic alternatives. Reduced water use also has labor-saving benefits.

5. Ease of Growing: Making the process of growing healthy greens, root vegetables, and berries easier is valuable for both commercial farmers and home gardeners.

6. Education: Enabling easy-to-use hydroponic systems and lab techniques for studying plant growth can contribute to scientific research and education, promoting sustainable agriculture practices.

7. Reduction in Air Pollutants: Eliminating or reducing supply chains. GyroPlant reduces nitrogen oxides (NOx) and sulfur oxides (SOx) emissions, which contribute to air pollution and greenhouse gases from shipping and packaging supply. 

8. Reduced Long-Term Costs: Lowering the costs associated with controlled environment agriculture (CEA) and greenhouse growing makes sustainable farming more accessible and economically viable for a broader range of growers.

9. Resource Protection: Eliminating unnecessary consumption of single-use organic materials helps conserve resources and agricultural land, which can be repurposed for other uses or left in its natural state.

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These are all significant advantages that can contribute to a more sustainable and environmentally friendly approach to agriculture. Quantifying the positive effects of your reusable substrate solution through data and research will be important in demonstrating its value to potential customers and stakeholders. It's a commendable initiative to address multiple aspects of sustainability in agriculture.

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Further to our sustainability goals:

 

At the end of their life cycle, we encourage customers to up-cycle our products, given their diverse range of potential applications. This further contributes to carbon savings. 

 

For certain plants, the use of water-based gels (hydrogels) within GyroCup is necessary. These gels require a small quantity of widely available natural liquid thickeners like Guar. We utilise hydrogels only minimally for germination, and their carbon impact is factored into our LCA.

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If you're interested in accessing our comprehensive dataset or seeking responsible disposal options for GyroCups through our up-cycling program, please feel free to reach out to us.