An innovative Indonesian start-up is aiming to rid the world of the scourge of plastic bags, and has developed a truly biodegradable, edible replacement.
The “Eco Bags” are made of a polymer based on the root of the Cassava plant.
The company called Avani, which is based in Bali, Indonesia, developed a bag that is not only biodegradable, but will also dissolve in warm water, and if eaten by fish and insects will actually nourish them as opposed to poison them. The team is so confident in their product that during demonstrations, Avani co-founder Kevin Kumala will regularly dissolve parts of a bag in a small cup of warm water and drink the resulting mix, according to Global Citizen.
The company aims to tackle the problem of the more than one trillion (1,000,000,000,000) plastic bags thrown away by humans every year. A significant majority of these bags end up in the ocean polluting the world’s fragile ecosystems.
Avani is not only planning on bringing its new bags to the market but has also developed a wide range of totally biodegradable products to replace disposable plastic alternatives in everyday life. The company insists on producing its products from totally sustainable and environmentally safe plant based sources.
Even though the Eco Bags cost a fraction more than regular plastic bags, that should not be a major issue for Kevin Kumala:
“What is two cents more when you can help reduce the plastic waste that is currently occurring on our planet?”
You can read the Global Citizen report here, or check out the Avani Video below: