The collaboration between PHEE and ION Chocolate Industry began when we approached the company's ESG team with the proposal to upcycle the 500 tonnes of cocoa husks generated annually during chocolate production into a new generation of bio-based materials.
Working closely together, the two teams designed and implemented Europe's first fully circular closed-loop recycling scheme for cocoa husks, transforming what was once an industrial by-product into a valuable feedstock for innovative material applications. The result is Cocoa Board™, a novel bio-based decorative panel developed by PHEE Materials Lab through the upcycling of ION's cocoa husks. Beyond its environmental benefits, the material offers distinctive natural aesthetics, warm earthy tones, and a subtle chocolate essence. Today, Cocoa Board™ is the base material for ION's premium corporate gifts and promotional products, enabling the company to communicate its sustainability strategy through products manufactured from its own residual biomass while replacing conventional fossil-based materials with a circular, bio-based alternative.
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