Biodegradable straws
This Colombian invention, manufactured by the company Promociones Fantasticas, aims to reduce the considerable impact on the Earth generated by plastic straws.
Unlike traditional drinking straws, this product is oxobiodegradable, which means it degrades when it’s in contact with sunlight and oxygen until it disappears completely. These eco-friendly products are currently on sale in Latin America and the United States and the company hopes to launch the straws in Europe in the next few years.
ArthroFood: Cricket flour
Industrial microbiologist Yovanna Andrea Serrato and biologist Diego Alberto Cruz, graduates from Bogota’s Javeriana University, have teamed up to create ArthroFood, which is dedicated to producing flour made from crickets.
The project’s aim is to eradicate hunger in vulnerable populations by giving them the opportunity to use cricket flour in their cooking, which, according to Serrato and Cruz, has excellent nutritional value.
Cricket flour is sustainably produced too. Producing proteins with cricket flour generates 85% fewer greenhouse gases, 1,000 times less water and requires 10 times less space than generating the same amount of protein with a more traditional meat product.
Cassava bags
Natpacking, a company led by a team of researchers headed by Jovany Perez, has developed a range of bags made from cassava, which take just 180 days to biodegrade and are the ideal replacement for traditional plastic bags.
Imagen de falco en Pixabay
Natpacking is the first company to offer 100% organic packaging in Latin America and the product combines both innovation and sustainable development. “We use renewable raw materials that allow us to generate a positive impact on the planet and provide an alternative option for homes and businesses in the region,” the company said.
Check out: Colombian creates paper made from sugarcane waste.
Bricks made from recycled plastic
Cali musician Fernando Llanos has launched a project that uses recycled bricks to tackle the shortage of housing in low-income rural areas.
Conceptos Plasticos, the company that Llanos launched with his associate Oscar Andres Mendez, manufactures bricks from recycled plastic, which can be used to construct houses at a cheaper rate. Seventy tons of plastic are recycled for each house, with houses constructed for 30% less than those built using traditional construction materials.
Besides the project’s environmental and social impact, Conceptos Plasticos has been recognised for its innovation and it received first place in The Venture 2016.
Biodegradable plates
Claudia Barona and Andres Benavides are the Colombian entrepreneurs behind Lifepack, which uses corn and pineapple to create disposable plates, which can then be planted.
“We add a seed when we manufacture the paper, which means the plates can germinate,” the company said. This range of biodegradable products is called Papelyco and is available in Cali, Bogota, Medellin, Manizales, Neiva, Barranquilla, Villavicencio and Palmira.
Want to know more about ecological Colombian products? Click here to learn about the first solar car made in Colombia, unbreakable hearing aids for children and a water refuse system, among others.
Colombians’ talent and creativity is saving the planet through the ideas, innovation, hard work and drive of Colombian entrepreneurs. Click here to learn more about Colombians who are ambassadors of their country on the global stage.
Check out: Five Colombian products taking over the world
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