
Shannon
Boase
WHAT
GOT YOU STARTED?
by Burke Campbell
Published in the
Financial Post
Sept
22, 2008
Shannon
Boase founded Earthcycle (www.earthcycle.com).
Based in
Vancouver
, Earthcycle makes packaging from palm
fiber, a renewable resource that would otherwise be discarded as
waste. Shannon Boase tells the
Financial Post what motivated her
to become an entrepreneur.
Exotic
life: “Born and raised in
Vancouver
, I traveled in my
20s, living in
Thailand
,
France
, and
Malaysia
. In the East, I
worked as a management consultant doing market research for large
companies.”
Right
place, right time: “In the East, the husk from the palm tree is
harvested year round for its oil. Once the fruit is removed, the remaining
husk used to be considered waste and was usually incinerated, adding to
greenhouse gases, but the Malaysian government has mandated turning it
into a commercial product.”
From
waste to winner: “I worked in
Malaysia
, managing a fund to develop and profile a new
technology that could turn the husk into a versatile packaging material.
Biodegradable, it’s perfect packaging for fruit and vegetables, and for
other uses.”
Homeward
bound: “Back in
Canada
, I founded Earthcycle, the only firm that has a fully
integrated production process, from plantation to pulping, production,
sales and marketing.”
Radical
re-think: “In
North America
, the takeout package industry tops $18 billion, often
using ‘non-green’ plastics. But attitudes are changing. Right
now, Earthcycle packaging sells in select Wal-Mart, Whole Food, Safeway,
Loblaws, and A&P stores. We’ve all become more mindful not just of
what we buy, but what it’s wrapped in.”
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