We’ve learned some of the issues with plastic and our environment already, if you need a refresher check it out. The question paper or plastic is pretty much a no brainer these days. Paper is biodegradable because it is made from plant materials. Most paper products can also be recycled up to 7 times before the fibers become too short. So, paper all day, right? 

Not so fast. Most of the paper cups on the market require trees to be cut down for production. Take all those energy costs and combine them with the fact that we use over 16 billion paper cups a year and Houston, we have a problem. To make matters worse, (come on, you know it gets worse before it gets better) most paper cups are lined with, you guessed it, plastic. 

Queue the creative solution segment. A group of forward thinkers in the Philippines have created an alternative product that saves the trees and ditches the plastic. Their answer? Pineapple leaves.

The company Pinyapel sources the leaves from a major pineapple supplier. The leaves were previously discarded, which means they are cheap and help farmers make extra money while simultaneously cutting down on waste. 

The pineapple paper can come in direct contact with food, making it a viable replacement for loads of other food packaging materials. It also breaks down much faster than traditional paper products. 

Kind of reminds you of our piece on using fish guts to create biodegradable plastic, doesn’t it? 😉  

The fact is, consumers are beginning to demand sustainable alternatives that are better for the environment. Forward-thinking companies are getting ahead of the curve by thinking creatively, challenging the status quo, and creating worth from waste. And we’re here to tell you all about it.

Blue Door