A Thai supermarket has decided to limit the use of plastic in food packaging by replacing it with a completely natural and biodegradable packaging: banana leaves!
Don't store avocado like this: it's dangerousUn Thai supermarket has decided to limit the use of plastic in food packaging by replacing it with a completely natural packaging and biodegradable: the banana leaves!
Unfortunately, supermarkets all over the world still use a lot of plastic for packaging fruit and vegetables. A disposable use of a highly polluting material that is literally poisoning our planet. Fortunately, new alternatives are being sought and some already exist. This is the case with banana leaves.
In tropical countries these large, green, resistant but flexible leaves they are used not only in ceremonies and during religious offerings but also in the kitchen to serve traditional dishes and instead of film or tinfoil for the transport of take away food.
Now a Thai supermarket, the Rimping which is located at Chiang Mai in the north of the country, it has decided to exploit this natural resource also to pack fruit and vegetables.
Not all banana leaves are suitable for packaging but the wider and thicker ones are well suited for packaging especially for their characteristic of being able to bend without breaking. Furthermore, the waxy surface gives them a strong resistance to water and makes them more suitable for coming into contact with liquids than other natural materials.
The original alternative to plastic was much appreciated by local consumers but also abroad since after sharing it on social media the news went viral. Most people praised this new initiative, but some pointed out that this system has not completely eliminated the use of plastic and that more needs to be done.
It seems like a good start to us though!
This is actually nothing new, as banana leaves are a packaging solution that has been around for thousands of years. Today, however, more than ever this use, at least in the countries where this fruit grows luxuriantly, could benefit the environment.
Unlike plastics, in fact, the leaves are organic and can, after use, become compost.
Read also:
- The indigenous people who replaced plastic bags with banana leaves
- Plastic in contact with food: why and how to avoid it
- Food and drink packaging: which is the safest material?
