Learn about sustainable packaging that is "born" in banana

               

São Paulo - You know the famous law of conservation of matter that says "in nature nothing is created, nothing is lost, everything is transformed"? In a world of rampant production and consumption, fortunately, you can find products whose life cycle mimics the logic of nature.

A promising example is a project developed by Colombian designers Brayan Stiven Pabon Gomez and Rafael Ricardo Moreno Boada - ecological packaging made from banana fiber, something seemingly simple, but with huge potential benefits for the environment, people and the economy.

Colombia is one of the five largest banana exporter in the world, with 45,000 hectares of cultivated area. With the project, the duo gives new life to the banana pseudostem fibers (the "stem" is true underground) a geographically abundant material and commonly discarded by agrircultores.

The cycle is all closed in view of the principle of cradle-to-cradle design ( "cradle to cradle" in Portuguese) that, in general, provides that at the end of its life cycle, a product and its constituent parts they can be reintegrated in production, avoiding waste and reducing consumption of new resources, proposal contrary to cradle-to-grave design ( "cradle au grave"), which is to end waste.

In this case, the process starts with the removal of the fibrous layers of the pseudostem of the banana plant, passing through disinfection and sterilization with steam in accordance with project description.

The material "raw" is then molded to become a container. To connect parts, designers use biodegradable glue made from potatoes, and the label is printed with biodegradable ink.

According to the designers, this combination ensures the product's resistance to hot food, liquid, and fall, ensures the biodegradability of the packaging itself. At the end, the material can be easily composted and used as fertilizer for banana plantations. Nothing is lost, everything is transformed.

"The package of banana fibers could replace plastic and paper, in addition to offering a natural experience for the user, the farmer awareness and generate sustainable development alternatives for local communities," say the creators.