{"id":8018,"date":"2018-03-12T12:25:25","date_gmt":"2018-03-12T11:25:25","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/packaging-journal.de\/?p=8018"},"modified":"2018-06-20T16:31:17","modified_gmt":"2018-06-20T14:31:17","slug":"arekapak-sustainable-food-packaging-made-from-palm-leaves","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/packaging-journal.de\/en\/arekapak-nachhaltige-lebensmittelverpackungen-aus-palmenblaettern\/","title":{"rendered":"Arekapak: sustainable food packaging made from palm leaves"},"content":{"rendered":"

Ideas don't grow on trees? In any case, Berlin product designers Nicole Plock and Alexandra Matthies spent a semester abroad in India and came up with a product idea that literally lay on the ground in front of them.<\/p>\n

India<\/strong> is a fascinating country. A rich culture meets great poverty. No less significant is the country's waste problem, which is home to almost 1.5 billion people.<\/p>\n

When the then students Nicole Plock and Alexandra Matthies travelled to the southern states of Tamil Nadu and Karnataka on the subcontinent, they were struck by the ubiquitous betel nut or betel nut plantations. Areca palms<\/strong> on. Their fruits are often chewed and have a stimulating effect. The Berliners were fascinated by the \u201ewaste\u201c of the areca palms: their leaves. In the countryside, they observed how women collected the fallen protective leaves from the palm fronds, washed them, soaked them and left them to dry in the sun. The resulting material was then pressed into moulds. There were already small factories on the ground that produced moulds in this way. Disposable crockery<\/strong> which even proved to be ovenproof and frost-resistant.<\/p>

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\"Arekapak
The two founders Nicole Plock and Alexandra Matthies.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Nicole Plock and Alexandra Matthies thought that they could make even more out of the areca palm and - back in Berlin - started a project for their bachelor's thesis. Their plan: they wanted to turn the areca palm leaves into Food packaging<\/strong> that replace the plastic trays used far too frequently in Europe.<\/p>\n

With this idea, they laid the foundation for their academic degree and also became the founders of \u201eArekapak<\/strong>\u201c. Your product: Chic bowls in terracotta colours<\/strong>, which are perfect for transporting and storing different types of fresh fruit.<\/p>