Demand for more eco-friendly utensils rise

Zhao Quan Yin, Hoe Yeen Nie Channel NewsAsia 7 Jul 10;

SINGAPORE : The growing awareness of eco-issues has led to an increase in demand for utensils made from recycled paper, with one local supplier seeing a sharp increase in import volumes over the past year.

The bulk of demand comes from eateries, with one saying it is happy to go green even if the utensils made from recycled paper cost 10 per cent more than plastic.

However, prices of utensils made from recycled paper have been coming down.

One importer, Pacific CAM Trading Enterprise, said the rise in global demand has led to better technology and cheaper products.

It now imports 300 crates of eco-friendly utensils from Taiwan, up from just 20 crates last year.

Currently, Singapore imports all utensils that are made from recycled paper, with 95 per cent brought in from Taiwan.

- CNA/al