No sooner Arts et Métiers her engineering degree Arts et Métiers than Romane Pawlaczyk (Li216) embarked on an innovative entrepreneurial project with an environmental impact.
"Boîte de Boîte" (Box of Boxes): an innovative concept proposed by Romane Pawlaczyk, an engineer Arts et Métiers.
Seniors, dependent individuals, and people with disabilities—many people rely on home meal delivery services every day. And often, meals are delivered in small plastic containers... that are disposable! Romane Pawlaczyk, a young engineer Arts et Métiers, made this observation following an accident involving her grandfather. "To stay at home, my grandfather signed up for a daily home meal delivery service. Every day, he receives a starter, a main course, and a dessert delivered in disposable packaging. In one week, that's already 21 trays thrown away! In addition to this obvious waste problem, I noticed that the delivered meals are not presented in an appealing way. Malnutrition is a recurring problem among seniors," explains Romane. She therefore decided to offer a zero-waste service to restaurants and consumers of delivered meals. The objective is twofold: to enable daily meal delivery companies to limit their environmental impact while improving the service they offer with containers that finally showcase the contents. The goal: to reduce waste by 95%! "I have developed a prototype heat-sealed container that is easy to use and guarantees hygiene and food safety," adds Romane. The next step is to carry out material and lid tests at the National Testing Laboratory.
Becoming part of a regional innovation dynamic
With her engineering background, Romane is fully committed to her concept. She was awarded national student entrepreneur status in September 2020. Romane also presented her project at REV3, the Hauts-De-France initiative dedicated to the fourth industrial revolution, and is participating in a program run by the EuraMaterials incubator. " In this project, the encounters are extremely enriching. I am participating in the regional initiative dedicated to innovation," says Romane. But the horizon is not limited to the region for this former student of the Arts et Métiers campus Arts et Métiers Lille. "I am a winner of the Les Audacieuses call for projects launched by La Ruche de Paris, which rewards innovative projects with an environmental impact led by women. This means I benefit from tailored support to develop my project."
With the anti-waste law for a circular economy planning to gradually ban several everyday disposable plastic items year after year, there is no doubt that Romane's idea has a bright future ahead of it!
