Founded in 2021 as a startup from the University of Tokyo, fabula Inc. operates under the vision of “Creating Emotion from Waste.“ Originating from a concrete research laboratory, the company combines collection, drying, grinding, and hot-press molding techniques to manufacture new materials with strength tailored to each feedstock’s properties, achieving materials with approximately four times the strength of concrete. fabula delivers an end-to-end model, R&D, manufacturing, sales, and post-use take-back, using 100% food waste as input, and aims to valorize untapped resources of both organic and inorganic origin.
About the background of participation in this project
fabula identified strong alignment between Malmö’s urban challenges and its vision of creating inspiration from waste, which motivated its application. The company also sought to assess market fit in the Nordics, hypothesizing resonance with regional needs.
For global expansion, fabula recognizes the need to refine its business roadmap by accounting for country-specific regulations, business practices, and market demand, and to establish alliances with local partners. Through King Salmon Project’s delegation program, the team conducted interviews with municipal local officials, companies, and research institutions, confirming Malmö’s efforts to help citizens experience circular economy firsthand, with food waste as a focal theme. The city’s commitment to shared and practiced sustainability reinforced fabula’s conviction that its vision can contribute to solving Malmö’s challenges.
About the achievements through participating in King Salmon Project
While Malmö and the broader Nordics represent a mature sustainability market, many businesses and citizens still have limited visibility into how food waste is practically utilized, making it difficult to connect individual actions to circular outcomes. To address this gap, fabula converted coffee grounds—generated in familiar settings such as coffee shops—into new-material products and trialed them across the city. The PoC helped citizens experience the circular economy in everyday contexts.
Through this proof of concept, fabula believes it contributed to Malmö’s next stage: moving from a “city focused on waste management” to a “sustainable city where circularity is implemented and experienced in everyday life,” gaining clear signs that its solutions resonated with local stakeholders.
About the prospective business expansion
Building on the demonstration, fabula engaged in business discussions with multiple partners, including design firms, architectural offices, interior manufacturers, and restaurant operators. The company has initiated talks for potential future collaboration with a Malmö-based architectural office and an interior manufacturer. In parallel, fabula is working with design-related partners to develop flagship cases that will symbolize the brand’s entry into the Nordic market.
