A company that makes construction materials from plants is set to create jobs with a manufacturing facility in the North East.
London-based Biohm uses materials such as mushroom roots and orange peels to make insultation panels and other construction materials.
The company - which aims to use food waste waste to reduce the construction industry’s carbon dioxide emissions - is now looking to set up a manufacturing facility on Tyneside that would create an initial 30 jobs, possibly rising to twice that number.
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It is working with the YMCA charity to ensure that jobs provided would provide opportunities for difficult-to-reach and economically disadvantaged young people.
Biohm has launched a £1.25m funding round to develop its biomanufacturing technologies and scale up its research into laboratory-grown building products. Last year it raised £600,000.
The firm was founded by Egyptian design engineer Ehab Sayed who was researching how buildings could mimic natural ecosystems.
He said: “Our collaborations with social enterprises and local authorities put social impact at the heart of our business model through community profit share, so we can address start-up scaling challenges very effectively.
“This generates rapid growth to meet demand for our materials and will establish Biohm as an IP-rich and research-driven company that quickly becomes self-sustaining.”
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Biohm will use money raised through the Seedrs funding platform to hire more scientists, engineers and designers and boost the research and development of its products.
It is also set to open its first manufacturing plant - at Watchet, in Somerset, later this year - after working with a local community group to regenerate a former paper mill.
The company has attracted interest from a number of other countries, but hopes its second plant will open on Tyneside in 2021. It is working with the YMCA to raise funds for the project and is looking at sites in Wallsend, North Shields and Tynemouth.
Biohm aims to expand through profit-share agreements with local groups which are designed to boost skills and create long-term jobs, cut waste, promote entrepreneurship and fund regional initiatives.
Its launch follows research which shows that the construction industry accounts more than a third of the world’s carbon emissions.
The Biohm project aims to reduce that with a range of “ciruclar economy” products and is seeking industry accreditations to advance its discussions with potential customers in the 海角视频 and overseas.