Tableware Made of Sugarcane Fiber | Fusion - WeRIndia

The tableware use, especially the plastic disposable ones have a lot of effect on the environment. In order to fight the plastic problem, a woman came up with an innovative business idea.

Samanvi Bhograj is a Bengaluru based entrepreneur who wants to help the environment. When she saw how much of a menace plastic has become for the environment, she wanted to find a solution. She saw that plastic is used in everyday items and started looking for solutions. She founded Visfortec Private Limited. Her company manufactures 100% biodegradable and compostable tableware products made from plant fiber.

It all began four years ago. She started searching for alternatives to plastic tableware. Before that, she had experience in the field of sustainable energy. She wanted to replace plastic with a natural material rather than something that would deplete resources.

With all her research and reading, she wanted to make manufacture products using sugarcane bagasse. It is the fiber obtained from sugarcane after extracting juice.

She made various products with this material. This includes plates, bowls, meal trays and cups. The products decompose in 30-60 days after being discarded. The company gets bagasse from other organizations.

The source material is molded, dried, heated, and given other final touches. They use heat-induced pressing to give the material structural strength. The products are also water and oil resistant due to the inter-fiber bonding.

Samanvi found a completely natural process to make these products. All through the process, there are no binders, additives, coatings or chemical residues, used. This makes the products nontoxic and harmless. They are healthy and eco-friendly alternatives to plastic products.

Furthermore, the cutlery also does not add any color, odor or taste to food. They are also completely microwave-safe. These cutlery have the shelf life of around two years. They cannot be washed and have to be discarded.

Image Reference: TheBetterIndia