To handle Thailand’s rising waste drawback, one firm is popping to plant-based dwelling within the nation.
Common Biopack makes packaging that it sells to eating places and producers. However as an alternative of plastic, he makes use of a mixture of bamboo and cassava, crops which can be widespread throughout the nation.
After fast development in latest a long time, Thailand has turn into one of many largest economies in Asia. However like many different international locations within the area, the nation has been gradual to attempt to fight the thousands and thousands of tons of waste which can be produced annually.
“Waste administration is an enormous drawback in all places,” stated Phara Anong Vichakyuthen, managing director of Common Biopack.
RELATED: Firm turns 4 billion plastic bottles into clothes
The corporate makes use of expertise invented at a Bangkok college to fabricate zero-waste packaging. She hopes to finally exchange most of the Styrofoam packing containers and plastic luggage that find yourself in large landfills throughout Thailand and different Southeast Asian international locations.
Its eco-friendly system took 5 years to develop and is so adaptable that it may finally be used to wrap issues like furnishings and even telephones. The bamboo he makes use of comes from leftover scraps from the chopstick manufacturing course of.
In Bangkok and Chiang Mai, the place to-go drink containers and noodle packages line the sidewalks, the corporate provides eating places, natural farmers and different corporations within the meals and beverage business.
However discovering new purchasers might be troublesome.
Ready meals distributors in Thailand need to preserve prices low in a aggressive enterprise with slim revenue margins. Asking them to spend extra on packaging for environmental causes is a tall order.
“The native financial system nonetheless doesn’t help (this expertise),” stated Suthep Vichakyuthen, founding father of Common BioPack.
However this has not stopped different corporations from getting into the sustainable packaging market in Thailand. Like Common Biopack, they’re betting on rising environmental consciousness that can finally result in elevated demand.
To turn into extra aggressive, Sothep is investing. It goals to extend manufacturing by constructing {a partially} automated meeting line at its manufacturing facility close to Bangkok and doubling the variety of its staff from 50 individuals to 100.
The aim is to extend month-to-month capability from 300,000 items to 1 million items.
RELATED: A startup makes pencils that develop into greens
A lot of the demand comes from overseas. One in all her purchasers makes use of the pure packaging for her coconut water.
Common Biopack says additionally it is receiving curiosity in its merchandise from different international locations, particularly in Scandinavia.
CNN Cash (Hong Kong) First Printed February 12, 2017: 9:08pm ET
(tags for translation) thailand