Enactus UPEI's Spuds2Suds: Turning Potato Waste into Sustainable Soap and Community Support

After three months of brainstorming, determination, and refining their ideas, Enactus-UPEI, a club dedicated to sustainable entrepreneurship, successfully developed a potato soap product called Spuds2Suds.

In February, the club won top prizes for their project at the Enactus Regionals event in Halifax—a prestigious competition among leading educational institutions across the Atlantic provinces. Enactus-UPEI secured first place in their league for the Canadian Tire Environmental Sustainability Challenge and second place in the Innovation and Impact Challenge.

At the start of this year, the Enactus-UPEI team decided that they wanted to develop a project that was profitable, sustainable, and scalable, and addressed local issues. To better understand community needs, they reached out to a few local farmers for insights and to gauge the severity of potato waste. They also did some research online, mainly through PEI Government websites, to gather current and historical data and to validate their initiative. 

During this process, a team member also visited a local food bank and posed a key question to a volunteer: “What is an item food banks often need but rarely receive as donations?” The response—hygiene products.

Building on this, and with many members coming from rural areas or with farming experience, the Enactus team was acutely aware of the food waste caused by spoiled potatoes. These two challenges—access to hygiene products and reducing food waste—became the foundation of a sustainable solution, and they successfully developed a product that addressed both issues. 

Crafting potato soap involves several steps, starting with gathering unharvested potatoes from a local farmer’s field. The potatoes are blended into a smooth liquid, which is combined with a soap base, hydrating oils, and essential oils to create a nourishing mixture. The starch from the potatoes is the key ingredient; it is rich in vitamins and minerals and contains properties that promote collagen production. Finally, the mixture is poured into molds and left to solidify, completing the process.

Samuel Harding, co-president of Enactus-UPEI:

"Our project is dedicated to tackling environmental challenges while supporting our community, We achieve this by upcycling potatoes that would otherwise go to waste, transforming them into soap. For every bar sold, we donate one to the local food bank, ensuring that our efforts give back in meaningful ways."

The Spuds2Suds potato soap can be purchased at the UPEI Bookstore and Riverview Country Market in Charlottetown.

The Spuds2Suds potato soap can be purchased at the UPEI Bookstore on its campus and on its website for USD 6.

The Enactus-UPEI team consists entirely of UPEI volunteer students, operating as a true non-profit organization. Looking ahead, they aim to expand their mission by creating additional hygiene products that combat food waste, such as potato-based deodorant. 

As a result of their success at the regional competition, the group will compete at the 2024–2025 Enactus Canada National Exposition in Calgary, Alberta, from May 6–8, 2025.

In an interview with The Guardian on April 14, Veseys spokesperson Tara Matheson said the potato soaps sell fast. 

Tara Matheson, spokesperson for Veseys Seeds:

"We’re really proud to be able to support Island businesses because we really need to support each other, especially in this economy."

As co-presidents of Enactus UPEI, Maggie McNeil and Sam Harding are graduating this year, and their ultimate hope is that the project will continue.

Maggie McNeil, co-presidents of Enactus UPEI:

"We hope that people stay engaged with Enactus because when we first started, it was just the two of us. We didn’t have a project. We didn’t have people. So, we would hate to see it die off again. There’s so many different projects out there that are super inspiring."