I was reading an interesting piece in today's paper and I thought of sharing with my friends here.

Former UAE resident , Ms. Rhea Singhal, believes that the benefits of a healthy meal are negated if it is packaged in something that is harmful to both the environment and the human body. Her this belief and passion for environmental issues, gave birth to a sustainable venture "Ecoware" . She developed the passion for environmental issues while she was in Dubai. She gave up a lucrative career in a pharmaceutical company in the UK to set up Ecoware in India in 2009.

Moving to India after getting married, She turned her passion into a sustainable venture, and today is promoting 100 per cent biodegradable tableware - food plates, bowls and other food containers - made of plant biomass. At the Commonwealth Games held in India in 2010, international athletes used "Ecoware" plates and containers.

Now, she plans to bring the concept to the UAE.

Her this venture was appreciated and featured in UAE's leading newspaper "Gulf News" on eve of  World Environment Day, June 5.

She wants to explore Dubai market because she has always considered UAE as her home as she spent her childhood and adolescence here and continues to visit it as her parents live here. She moved to India in 2009 and was keen to start her own eco venture. What bothered her often was that most people she came across talked about healthy food and the safety aspect of food, but  ignoring the packaging from which they were eating that very same food. For her, all the benefits of a healthy meal can easily be negated if the serving dish has not been cleaned properly, is reused, or contains chemical additives that are harmful to human consumption.

She was very well aware that current disposables made from thermocol, styrofoam or petroleum-based plastics are carcinogenic and pose serious health and eco problems. Sensing a need to reduce the carbon footprint created by these products, She came up with a durable product made from plant biomass, which is 100 per cent biodegradable.

Now she has set up two manufacturing units in India and obtains plant biomass pulp to manufacture her products. She sources their plant biomass within ] 250km radius of their plant. The products are manufactured by high temperature moulding of the biomass into the desired shape and size using precise design moulds. The heat-induced pressing gives structural strength to the product, and the inter-fibre bonding gives it water and oil resistance. Strict quality control is observed at her plant,to ensure that no chemicals or pesticides are retained in the biomass. She also sends random samples to a nationally recognised laboratory in India to test in order to maintain the stringent standards.

Discarded containers turn to compost within 90 days of being added to soil.

Her products have been certified by the US department of Agriculture. They have no binders, additives, coatings or fillers, are non toxic, have no wax lining or pesticide or chemical residues, do not impart colour, odour or taste to food and can be used in the refrigerator, or used in microwave ovens. Biomass products have an estimated shelf life of one year. Products should be stored in a cool, dry area to achieve maximum life expectancy.

She keeps promoting that in this age of overconsumption and adulteration, adopting an eco-friendly lifestyle will help communities move towards healthier living and thus contribute to sustainability and renewability.

Source : Gulf News