To tackle the problem of mounting Thailand assembly, a company turns to the country's vegetable life.
Universal Biopack makes packaging that it sells to restaurants and manufacturers. But rather than plastic, it uses a mixture of bamboo and cassava, cultures that are largely across the country.
After having increased quickly in recent decades, Thailand has become one of the biggest savings in Asia. But like many other countries in the region, it was slow to try to fight the millions of tonnes of waste produced each year.
“Waste management is a big problem everywhere,” said Universal Biopack Director General Vara-Anong Vichakyothin.
Related: the company transforms 4 billion plastic bottles into clothing
The company uses technology designed at a Bangkok university to pack zero waste. He hopes that he will possibly replace many polystyrene boxes and plastic bags that are found in huge discharges across Thailand and other Southeast Asian countries.
Its ecological formula has taken five years to develop and is so adaptable that it could end up being used to pack things like furniture and even phones. The bamboo he uses comes from the leftovers of the baguette manufacturing process.
In the cities of Bangkok and Chiang Mai, where take -out containers and noodle packages line the sidewalks, the company provides restaurants, organic farmers and other companies in the food industry and drinks.
But finding new customers can be delicate.
Food sellers to take away in Thailand want to reduce costs in a competitive company with thin margins. Asking them to spend more on packaging for environmental reasons is a difficult sale.
“The local economy still does not support [this technology]”Said the founder of Universal Biopack, Suthep Vichakyothin.
But that did not prevent other companies from entering the sustainable packaging market in Thailand. Like Universal Biopack, they bet on awareness of the growing environment ultimately leading to an increase in demand.
To become more competitive, Suthep's company is investing. It aims to accelerate production by building a partially automated mounting chain in its factory near Bangkok and doubling its staff of 50 people to 100.
The objective is to increase the monthly capacity of 300,000 units to one million.
Related: a startup that makes pencils that turn into vegetables
Much of the demand comes from abroad. One of its customers uses the natural packaging for coconut water it exports.
Universal Biopack says he is also interested in his products from other countries, especially in Scandinavia.
CNNMONEY (Hong Kong) First advertising on February 12, 2017: 21:08 pm HE
