A Kickstarter campaign has given roots to German start-up Leaf Republicand their plans for the widespread manufacture of sustainable tableware made out of leaves. With over 60,000raised this Summer via the popular crowd-funding platform it follows three years of sustainable packaging development from the team inMunich.
Inspired by Indigenous Peoples who have usedleaves and other biological materials as tablewarefor centuries, Leaf Republic are now aiming to popularise their line of disposable but durable leaf plates,which the teamclaims areas renewable and biodegradable as a “leaf fallingfrom a tree”.And as true bio-based products they are petroleum derivatives and genetically modified components.
Leaf Republicare the very first company to develop sustainable one-way disposable tableware and food packaging material made of nothing but tree leaves.
The team see the most important selling propositions as being the green colour of the packaging, the contemporary design, and the unique surface feel which give the customer a feeling of freshness and naturalness.
Each of the plates have three layers the top and bottom sectionsare ofleavesstitchedtogether with palmfibers and the middleis a carton-like material also made from leaves. The parts are combined without the use of glue or chemical binders, they are simply compressedtogether with a machine press.
The plate this process creates is waterproof,microwave-safe plate with a shelf life of approximately a year and a half. The leaf plates can be washed and reused, however Leaf Republic does not recommend thatbecause it couldnegatively affect the product’sstiffness.Additionally, the bowl is biodegradable in only 28 days.
We asked Leaf Republic ( @leaf_republic)why theyd developed this product: Packaging is a part of our daily lives. There has always been packaging and there always will be. As the number of people and their consumption keep on growing, the packaging market has an impressive size all over the world. The same applies to the markets for paper and cellulose. But such a size easily leads to complacency.
Because we spend only a brief moment on this world. Everything we own is only temporary. What really counts is what we create, what we build up. What counts are our actions and our decisions. They last forever. They make up the true value of our being. If these actions lead to building up a sustainable, social, gainful company, then we will have the greatest job in the world.
With the Kickstart achieved, the Leaf Republic will now be stepping up theirproduction capabilities so this is certainly a start-up to keep an eye upon!
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