With the long-standing global problem on plastic waste, the Philippines is definitely not a newbie to this. Worst, we have been previously ranked as the 3rd biggest ocean polluter of plastic whereby we use more than 163 million plastic sachet packets, 93 million shopping bags daily [1]. Meanwhile, being primarily an agricultural country, with the 29 operating sugar manufacturers in the Philippines, an average of 6,900 tons of sugarcane bagasse is wasted daily. In addition, rice husks and rice straw also contribute to this high volume of agro-industrial waste production with 2 million and 5 million tons generated per year [2].
The country's problem on plastic and agro-industrial waste is what inspired the AtoANI team to develop a new venture called AtoANI BioPack. The idea was conceptualized by the Founder who worked on using sugarcane bagasse for enzyme production back in college. Under this venture, agro-industrial waste such as sugarcane bagasse from sugar manufacturers is used as a raw material for the production of biodegradable packaging through collaboration with Paper and Packaging Manufacturers.
In this venture, AtoANI BioPack provides the Product Branding, Process Parameters, Product Specifications as well as Marketing and Sales. And based on market validation, customers are willing to buy AtoANI BioPack's products and use it for packaging of dry goods, vegetables and dry personal care products.
Our Vision
To make AtoANI BioPack Biodegradable Packaging become a significant player in reducing plastic and agro-industrial waste.
Outlook: We started with sugarcane bagasse but in the future we will venture into other agro-industrial waste which are also abundant in the country such as rice husks, rice straws, coconut husks and waste abaca fibers.
Do You Share our Vision?
Let us all help in reducing the plastic and agro-industrial waste problem of the Philippines.
We are looking for the following partners: Sugar Manufacturers, Paper and Packaging Manufacturers, Logistics Providers, Retail Stores, Coffee / Tea Shops, Personal Care Products Manufacturers / Stores, Gift Shops and Fruits / Vegetable Stores.
Reference
[1] Subido, L. Y. (2019). Filipinos Throw Out Over 163 million Sachets and 93 million Plastic Bags Each Day. Retrieved March 29, 2020, from https://www.esquiremag.ph/life/health-and-fitness/philippines-plastic-pollution-statistics-a00288-20190308
[2] ASEAN Briefing. (2017). Biomass Industry in the Philippines. Retrieved March 29, 2020, from https://www.aseanbriefing.com/news/biomass-industry-philippines/
[Note: Some images are taken from the internet]