BACKGROUND AND RESEARCH
the cocoa pod
COCOA PODS
• Cocoa pods are the dried vessels that contain cocao beans.
• When opened, the pod contains a fruity, edible pulp.
• To continue the chocolate-making process, this pulp containing the cocao beans is removed, fermented, and dried.
COCOA PRODUCTION
• 4.82 million tons produced in 2019-2020
• Chocolate industry makes $103 billion annually
• Only 10% of the total cocoa fruit weight is used commercially, leaving the remaining 90% to be discarded as waste and left to decompose
PRODUCTION ISSUES
• Global waste estimated at 700 thousand tons per year
• Continuous deposition of waste has resulted in detrimental environmental issues including, but not limited to, silting, blockage of water drainage systems, flooding of rivers, water pollution, pests, and diseases.
SOCIAL ISSUES
• Ghanaian farmers don’t make much money from the sale of their crop due to the set farmgate price and high taxes.
• Besides cultivating the crop itself, there aren’t many other industries within Ghana that provide the farmers with ways to use the cocoa they produce.
• Oftentimes, middle men and large chocolate corporations make most of the money at the end of cocoa’s lifecycle.
Through material research, it was discovered that cocoa pod husk fibers can be turned into paper products, which would help combat this abundance of waste.
additional MATERIALS AND PROCESSES
While bar soap has many environmental benefits, consumers are often deterred from purchasing soap in this form because they find issues with its convenience. The two largest struggles consumers face are dropping the soap when in use and figuring out where to store the bar in the shower.₈
SOCIAL ISSUES
Companion planting is when certain plants are grown together in a symbiotic relationship, thereby improving each other’s health and yields.
benefits
Companion planting is when certain plants are grown together in a symbiotic relationship, thereby improving each other’s health and yields.
SHADE-GROWN COCOA
SOCIAL ISSUES
Companion planting is when certain plants are grown together in a symbiotic relationship, thereby improving each other’s health and yields.
benefits
Companion planting is when certain plants are grown together in a symbiotic relationship, thereby improving each other’s health and yields.
SHADE-GROWN COCOA
AFRICAN BLACK SOAP
Originating in the Yoruba communities in Benin, Toga, and Nigeria, this product has since become popular with citizens all across Western Africa.
INGREDIENTS
• Cocoa pod ash: contains antioxidants and anti-inflammatory properties
• Palm oil: rich in antioxidants and two forms of vitamin E
BENEFITS
• Promotes healing
• Deep cleansing
• Gentle exfoliation
• Soothes skin irritation
• Anti-inflammatory properties
BANANA FIBERS
BENEFITS
• Incredibly durable
• Better spin ability, fineness, and tensile strength than alternative natural fibers
PAPER-MAKING
soap research and analysis
FACE SOAP ISSUES
• The average liquid face soap container only holds 6-8oz of actual wash.
• Dermatologists recommend using face soap 2-3 times a day, resulting in consumers rapidly running out of soap and needing to buy it more often.
• Due to the constant use coupled with a misunderstanding of the proper amount needed, consumers tend to use an excess amount of face soap per wash.
The levels of wasted packaging produced by the beauty industry is so high that it is estimated that at the current rate of our consumption, by 2050 there will be 12 billion tonnes of plastic in landfills₉.
BAR SOAP BENEFITS
The increasing amount of plastic could be prevented if the less popular alternative to liquid soap, bar soap, was popularized.
Although it’s not as common to use, bar soap has a lower environmental impact than liquid soap in various important categories including:
• carbon footprint
• ecotoxicity
• ozone depletion potential
• eutrophication potential.₇
BAR SOAP ISSUES
While bar soap has many environmental benefits, consumers are often deterred from purchasing soap in this form because they find issues with its convenience. The two largest struggles consumers face are dropping the soap when in use and figuring out where to store the bar in the shower.₈
IN STORES
BULK PACKAGING
USER ERROR
We want to focus on these issues, and promote the more environmentally friendly bar soap, as well as the high potential of the cocoa fruit. This brings us to our project, and how we plan to connect the worlds of cocoa and soap together. That begs the question:
