Accessories made from recycled materials and disposable cutlery made of corn are some eco-friendly products landing in the stores
Tay Suan Chiang, Straits Times 7 Sep 08;
Move over CorningWare, that popular brand of glass-ceramic cookware sold in department stores. Now there is CornWare - disposable plates and cutlery made from yam starch and, yes, real corn.
CornWare, distributed by Singapore company Olive Green Marketing, is the latest environmentally friendly product to hit the shelves.
Others include a range of bowls made from macadamia shells called Husque, an offering from a home-grown company named - wait for it - Greenpeas.
Singaporean eco-entrepreneurs are certainly warming to the idea of saving the world from global warming by selling greenie goodies.
Greenpeas, for example, distributes about 10 eco-friendly lines, including XS Project, an assortment of fashion accessories made from trash collected from the landfills of Jakarta, and Logo/Yolo by local fashion designer Angelynn Tan, who creates tops from bamboo fibres.
And, this weekend, a trio of Republic Polytechnic graduates are selling their range of fashion items made from recycled material at the Market of Artists and Designers (Maad) Fair at the red dot design museum in Maxwell Road.
Ms Jay Chong, who set up Greenpeas in March this year with friend Lena St George-Sweet, says: 'Response from customers has been very encouraging. Buying eco-friendly products that contribute to the green movement makes them feel good.'
CornWare cutlery and plates feel slightly thicker than plastic ones. Unlike the latter which are usually thrown away after being used once, 'they can be reused three times before being disposed of', says Mr Aloysius Cheong, executive director of Olive Green Marketing, which began distributing CornWare about a year ago.
The eating ware supposedly decomposes 90 days after disposal compared with the 300 years taken by conventional plastic, made from chemicals, to break down. The corn and yam starch are made into a special form of plastic called bio-plastic to create the products.
Mr Cheong says most of his clients are caterers, schools and restaurants. He declined to give sales figures, saying: 'CornWare is very well received.'
He is now introducing the line directly to consumers at Japanese supermarket Meidi-Ya.
Other supermarkets such as Cold Storage, NTUC FairPrice and Carrefour will also offer them later this month.
Prices are from $1.40 for a box of 20 forks to $4.70 for a box of 20 plates. In contrast, 20 paper plates cost about $2 and 10 plastic plates cost about $2.50 in supermarkets.
Besides being reusable, Mr Cheong adds that they are microwaveable, can withstand high temperatures, are waterproof, natural and non-toxic.
As for the Republic Polytechnic School of Technology for the Arts trio offering fashion from recycled materials, one of them is recent graduate Ashikin Hashim. She tells LifeStyle that she teamed up with two coursemates to come up with what they call Recyclofashion.
What started off as a final-year project last year has now turned into a business. She says the idea came about as 'eco-fashion is perceived as boring. We wanted to make it more interesting'.
Using materials such as gunny sacks, zippers, plastic bags and paper cartons, they make shorts, accessories and wallets. Prices range from $5 for a wallet made from cardboard cartons to $70 for a fused plastic tote bag.
Ms Ashikin says that while they cannot force people to go green, they can, through Recyclofashion, 'look cool and help the environment at the same time'.
Greenpeas' Ms Chong says her company was set up to 'seek alternative approaches and products that satisfy our modern lifestyle, yet are in harmony with the environment'.
Its products are available at Curiocity in Bencoolen Street. The company also organised two eco bazaars at Raffles City early this year.
Nature lovers, meanwhile, have taken to ExOfficio apparel, made from blends of soy and organic cotton.
Soy is a soft yet strong fibre that naturally resists odour and bacteria.
Prices range from $25 for a bandana to $225 for a pullover, and the items are at the ExOfficio store in Marina Square.
Ms Iris Chan, manager of media relations at Eco Sports, which distributes the brand, says the products are gaining popularity with Singaporeans. 'They find the clothes comfortable and durable, contrary to the perception that they will disintegrate in a short time.'
Even leading lingerie label Triumph has jumped on the green bandwagon with Ecochic, a new range with fabric made from bamboo fibres.
It supposedly absorbs sweat better and has anti-bacterial properties. It costs from $17.90 for a pair of briefs to $59.90 for a bra.
Mrs May Lim, 45, is a new fan of CornWare. The housewife, who often recycles her plastic bottles, says she recently bought 40 CornWare plates for a barbecue.
'Using plastic plates is more convenient. But knowing that CornWare is environmentally friendly is an added plus,' she says.
