MODERNIZATION
TASTING THE FUTURE WITH EDIBLE CUPS AND CUTLERY
DELHI, INDIA
When you grab quick meals, snacks or drinks as you travel, choose to skip the single-use plastic forks and cups, so they do not land in the streets or a trash heap. Not possible, you think? One company in India has a solution you might want to chew on.
What's
changing
According to Fair Planet, India generates 62 million tons of waste annually, and only 70% is collected. To shrink the problem, innovators in the country are finding alternatives to use-and-toss containers and cutlery.
What's already
possible
Attaware, a company that began operations in 2018, has created and sells cups, plates and cutlery that can be eaten after use.
Seizing
the opportunity
Attaware’s edible food service products are made with grains and jaggery, a type of sugar. They come in multiple flavors, like coffee or strawberry, so they do not clash with the taste of the food they hold. They hold beverages for almost five hours before becoming soggy and can be microwaved for up to 30 seconds.
Standout
tactic
Being made of organic materials, Attaware’s products are safe for you or an animal to eat. They have a limited shelf life of six months, and if not used before expiration, they decompose easier than other biodegradable products and within about two weeks.
How
it helps
The company estimates that Attaware has helped eliminate 25 million single-serve items since 2018.
Diving
deeper
How can Attaware and other companies specializing in edible cutlery ensure that the grains, like rice, millet and sorghum, used to make their products are farmed sustainably and not diverted from food supplies for communities in need?
Increasing
impact
As the demand for edible cutlery increases over the next few decades, how can brands wanting to avoid single-use items best encourage people to shift their expectations about forks and cups to speed up the plastic-free transition?
Traveling
better
Travel is inherently carbon intensive. Whether you are taking a mini-break or an annual vacation, consider ways to minimize your impact by staying longer in one place, reconsidering how you travel to the destination, and supporting businesses that are working to make their community and the world a better place.
