Cruz Foam, a California-based startup developing bio-based styrofoam using seafood waste, has partnered with Re-Nuble, a New York-based developer of sustainable alternatives to growth media for indoor farms, to develop and commercialize Re-Nuble’s “ReNu Terra,” a grow pod for indoor farming made from seafood waste.

ReNu Terra is made from Cruz Foam’s proprietary chitin-based foam that claims to be a cheaper, environmentally friendly, and sustainable alternative to peat, the material that is currently used as a growth media in indoor farms. ReNu Terra is also 100% compostable and has been certified bio-based by the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA). 

For Re-Nuble, the partnership with Cruz Foam will also widen its market and enter into new agri-food industries such as hemp. Re-Nuble recently conducted a “soft” launch for Re-Nu Terra at GreenTech Amsterdam, a global horticulture technology exhibition, and received positive feedback from potential customers.