
Episode 053 - Plastic Foam, Biochar & the Fight to Replace Styrofoam | Elizabeth Lee
Plastic foam is everywhere. It protects our deliveries, insulates buildings, keeps food cold, cushions products, and makes modern logistics work. But materials like expanded polystyrene - better known as Styrofoam - are still largely fossil-based, difficult to recycle in practice, and often end up as long-lasting plastic waste.In this episode of RAW GREEN 🎤 🌵, Francesco De Lieto and Emma Mee speak with Liz Lee, founder and CEO of Carbon Cell, a UK climate tech company developing a plastic-free foam made with biochar and natural materials.We explore what plastic foam is made of, why EPS became so dominant, why it is so hard to dispose of properly, and whether biochar-based materials could offer a real alternative to fossil-based foams in packaging, insulation and construction.Liz explains how Carbon Cell’s material works, why biochar is more than just a soil amendment, what “carbon negative” really means, and why sustainable materials need to compete on performance, cost and scalability - not just environmental claims.We also discuss the wider shift away from fossil-based materials, the challenge of scaling climate tech hardware, fundraising for sustainable materials companies, regulation, supply chain resilience, and the future of plastic-free foam.Don’t forget to follow the podcast to catch the next episode.Raw Green is produced and sponsored by OBE, a sustainability consultancy specialised in Life Cycle Assessment, research and climate technologies.For more information:https://oneobe.com/https://www.linkedin.com/company/on-behalf-of-earth/https://www.youtube.com/@RAWGREEN_1Suggestions or ideas for future episodes?Email us at info@oneobe.comCiiiiao!










