“We process farm waste like sugarcane leaves, pineapple leaves, tomato leaves, banana stems along with water to convert that into a packaging material and tableware like cups, vegetable holders and plates,” George Thomas, a finance consultant and one of the directors of the company, tells Bangalore Mirror. “The products are also not expensive as they are on a par with the cost of plastic materials used in packaging.”
The trio produces 400-500 boxes an hour at their plant in Bengaluru, using technology developed by Hamburg-based Bio-Lutions.
“The farm waste is completely dewatered and dried for feeding into the shredder. The pieces obtained from shredder are converted into a ready mix with little moisture. The mix is processed through unique mechanical technology to get micro or nano-sized fibers. These fibers are self-binding when mixed with water and can be processed into various forms of packaging and tableware using metal dyes without using any chemical additives. The materials are dried naturally and hot-pressed for a finishing touch,” adds Kurian Mathew, an architect and managing director of the firm.