Bagasse is the fibre that remains after the juice has been extracted from the sugar cane plant – bagasse is an abundant agricultural by-product with more than 54 million tons produced each year.
Put simply: it’s a plant fibre that decomposes naturally in the environment.
Packaging made from this sugarcane pulp is extremely versatile, inexpensive, and degrades rapidly when composted at home or an industrial compost facility. It is ovenable up to 80°C.
EkoPak’s bagasse packaging is home biodegradable as well as industrially compostable. This means it will biodegrade in composting conditions in 30-90 days, leaving no harmful or toxic residue but instead generating nutrient-rich compost. This makes it the ideal packaging option for foodservice since the packaging and any leftover food can go right into the compost bin, reducing the amount of trash. Composting decreases methane generation (a significant source of greenhouse gas) and provides a number of economic and environmental co-benefits. Which is clearly a superior option for the planet than sending organic material to landfill.
Bagasse is a product made from sugarcane pulp, which is a byproduct of sugarcane production. During the sugar cane development process, the plant takes atmospheric carbon and transforms it into biomass. So, from the production right through to the disposal, this material is the environmentally sound choice.
EkoPak’s bagasse packaging may be recycled with cardboard (as long as it’s clean and no food residue remains).
Sugarcane is an abundant and rapidly renewable resource. In 2020, around 1.9 billion tonnes of sugarcane were harvested worldwide, with Australia accounting for 31.1 million tonnes of that total. While 30% of the crop generates sugar goods, accounting for 95% of the income, the other two-thirds has little economic value and is typically disposed of as waste — this waste/pulp is known as bagasse. Using bagasse for packaging increases the crop’s value and is a great example of the principles promoted by circular economy theories.
https://www.statista.com/statistics/249604/sugar-cane-production-worldwide/
We founded EkoPak with a passion that it was time to give back to the world and lead the way for the next generation. EkoPak’s range includes Bagasse as a crucial ingredient, and we look forward to seeing it become a gold standard throughout the hospitality industry as we progress towards a bold green future.
PO Box 598 Nambour QLD 4560 Australia
