Meet Shellworks' VIVOMER Cutting Board
Shellworks has opened US preorders for a $62 cutting board made from VIVOMER, a fermentation-produced PHA-based polymer. It promises dishwasher convenience without the polyethylene or polypropylene surface used in conventional plastic boards. Plastic Free Kitchen has not tested it, but this is a launch worth watching.
Quick take
The Shellworks VIVOMER Cutting Board is designed to fill a real gap. Plastic boards are lightweight and easy to clean, but knife wear can release particles from the cutting surface. Most solid-wood boards avoid that conventional plastic surface but require more careful washing and drying.
Shellworks is offering another option: a board the company says is dishwasher-safe, stain-resistant and made without petroleum-derived plastic. For US buyers, the 10-by-15-inch board is $62 and comes in merino, meadow and lilac. Shellworks estimates delivery in six to eight weeks.
What is VIVOMER?
VIVOMER is Shellworks' proprietary version of PHA, a family of polymers microorganisms can produce naturally. The company makes it through fermentation using plant-based feedstocks.
According to Shellworks' product information and FAQ, the board is made from 100% VIVOMER. Shellworks says third-party testing found no persistent microplastics from the material and no BPA, phthalates or PFAS at the tested limits. The company also describes VIVOMER as compliant with US and EU food-contact requirements and the finished board as home-compostable.
Those are encouraging claims, but the public pages do not link the underlying reports, testing methods, detection limits or certificate number. We would especially like to see how the finished board performs after repeated knife scoring and dishwasher cycles.
The price and preorder details
At $62, this is a premium-priced cutting board and an early-adopter purchase. Shellworks says taxes and duties are included in the US price.
When we checked, the shop listed a six-to-eight-week delivery estimate, but we did not find cancellation, warranty or return terms on the product page or its standard policy pages. Anyone considering a preorder should confirm those details directly with Shellworks.
What PFK wants to know
The promise is strong. The unanswered questions are practical: How quickly will it show deep cut marks? Will it hold stains or odors? Will it stay flat after months of dishwasher use? And how gentle will it be on knife edges?
Independent reviews and long-term owner experience should tell us much more. Shellworks reports that VIVOMER has already been used in millions of packaging parts, but that does not establish how this cutting board will hold up in a busy kitchen.
PFK's first look
We are excited because Shellworks is tackling an ordinary kitchen problem. If the board performs as promised, it could offer the convenience people like about plastic boards without a conventional polyethylene or polypropylene cutting surface.
For now, our verdict is simple: worth watching, but too new and insufficiently documented for PFK to recommend yet.
Disclosure: Plastic Free Kitchen has no affiliate, referral, retail or other commercial relationship with Shellworks. We do not earn a commission from the link below, and we have not ordered, handled or tested this board.
See the VIVOMER Cutting Board at Shellworks
Product details and US pricing checked August 16, 2026.
Product images: Shellworks, from the official VIVOMER Cutting Board product page. Accessed August 16, 2026.