How sustainable and aesthetically made disposable tableware can replace harmful single-use plastic plates & cutlery
Living in harmony with nature is essential to our world nowadays. This should also be the case when it comes to social gatherings and parties too. Unfortunately, consumers are still widely using disposable tableware and cutlery made of single-use plastic for these occasions, mainly for reasons of convenience. The ubiquity of non recyclable and single-use disposable tableware sold in supermarkets and convenience stores is disheartening, and although the the negative impact of our throw-away culture on the environment is well known, the world wide total market size of disposable tableware still increased significantly from 27,37 billion dollars 2016 to 29,7 billion dollars in 2018.
France is the first country to try and halt this trend. In 2016 France banned the use of plastic disposable tableware and cutlery from 2020 onwards. The European Commission has proposed a ban on many single-use plastic products such as disposable plates to reduce marine and landfill pollution. This is a very important step, as according to the Financial Times a study by Ellen MacArthur confirms that Europe still “generates 25.8m tonnes of plastic waste annually, of which less than 30 per cent is recycled, 31 per cent ends up in landfills and 39 per cent is incinerated.”
Nowadays, plenty of alternatives to single-use disposable tableware are available, which are either made from recycled materials or from organic materials like bamboo. An excellent example is the Japanese company Wasara. Their disposable tableware and cutlery is not only sustainable but also atheistically very appealing. The award winning company Wasara combines traditional workmanship with technical acquired skills. Their tableware is fully compostable and its raw materials will: 1) decompose into carbon dioxide, water, and inorganic compounds; 2) undergo extensive decomposition, losing its original form within 90 days; and 3) leave behind no toxic materials. Wasara only uses tree-free materials such as bamboo and bagasse. Bamboo is a popular sustainable raw material as it grows very fast and can be easily renewed. Bagasse on the other hand is sugarcane fibre which can be used as alternative for paper base. It has a very soft raw material and therefore requires less energy in the production process.
For more information and market size of disposable tableware: https://www.statista.com/statistics/761243/global-disposable-tableware-market-size/
For more information on EU law about disposable plastic tableware & plastic pollution:
https://www.ft.com/content/e1168020-627a-11e8-90c2-9563a0613e56
For more information on Wasara: