2 Main Ingredients
Each product is made up of two main ingredients: rice husks and pine resin. Rice husks are the shells that encase each grain of rice and the agricultural waste after harvest. Pine resin is solidified pine sap used by trees to heal their wounds. Together, this creates a biomaterial with a similar texture to glass.
What is AMBER?
AMBER is a plant-based, water-proof biomaterial. Our mission is to create all-natural products with rice husks and pine resin to repurpose agricultural waste and give agency to Hispanic and Latino community members to help eliminate food waste in their daily practices. These communities have the highest percentages of food waste in the United States. Why? There are many different factors at play such as accessibility to compost initiatives, space limitations and financial resources. However, we hope by creating beautiful and practical products out of rice (a staple ingredient rooted deeply in Hispanic and Latino culture) we can break down any stigmas surrounding food waste and instill action.
Coffee
Raw
Cinnamon
Saffron
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Curry
Carrot
Berries
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Achiote
Beets
9 Plant-Derived Colors
Amber has created 9 different colors pigments, all naturally derived. We like to use spices as well as fresh fruit and vegetables to give you a 100% organic, vegan product. No chemicals or hard to pronounce ingredients here!
Environmental Impact
The long-term use of AMBER products instead of plastic counterparts can aid in reducing the plastic resin production in the U.S from the 2018 total of 119,559 million pounds a year (Statista ID: 203398). In addition, national prevention of food waste can prevent up to 3.66 metric tons of CO2 emissions per short ton of food to be released into the air annually (Statista ID: 948304).
Founder
Julie Lizardo is a proud 22 year old Dominican from Queens, New York. She currently works as a course assistant at the Department of Computer Science at NYU. One of her life-long goals is to promote computer science education as well as sustainable practices in disadvantaged and underrepresented communities.
