The increasing use of plastic, plastic products and other such non biodegradable materials combined with an improper waste disposal and management techniques being in practice, our world is unfortunately moving towards an environmental crisis. This un-managed waste does not only end up stashed in landfills, but also pollute water bodies and often threaten the lives of wildlife.
Banana Leaf Technology, an initiative of Tenith Innovations, is a step towards solving this mega crisis caused by the use of plastics and improper waste management. It is a hundred per cent chemical free and completely natural and organic. It increases the shelf life of banana leaves and serves as an efficient alternative to single use plastics, disposables and paper products.
What exactly is Banana Leaf Technology?
Usually, leaves and other such biomaterials have a shelf of not more than a few days and ultimately end up getting thrown out as waste. However, Tenith Adithyaa has a different approach towards this. He is an Indian innovator and scholar who developed this technology of preserving banana leaves and other such organic materials without the use of harmful chemicals, up to a year, which is an alternative to using and buying environment threatening, wasteful products.
It is a cellular technology, which is totally eco friendly, and it preserves and enhances the physical, cellular properties of the leaves and makes it a viable alternative which is environmental friendly, as opposed to using plastic or paper. This technology also improves the durability and stretch ability of the preserved leaves, making them more resistant to higher temperatures and sturdy. It makes the cell walls of the leaves stronger and protects the leaves from pathogens or agents that can cause damage to the cells. The preservation of the leaves increase their shelf life up to three years, thus making this technology a great alternative to plastics and other disposable products.
Banana Leaf Technology Products
This banana leaf technology makes us say goodbye to all forms of single use plastics and disposable products and replaces it with biodegradable, eco friendly banana leaf wrappings and leaf storage containers.
This technology introduces everyday use products such as banana leaf cups, plates, boxes and storage containers, Banana cones, and banana envelopes which replace the disposable plastic and paper products we use on a daily basis. Indian cultures have often put banana leaves to use as plates and other food medium, like food packaging, but the biggest issue that was an obstacle to make it a regular practice was the short shelf life of the leaves as they would not stay for more than 3 days. This cellular enhancement technology solves that problem in a healthy eco friendly way.
Tenith Adithyaa, in an interview, shared the fact that this technology is completely based only on the cellular enhancement of banana leaves and it does not have any impact on the demand or growth of banana trees. This technology uses the leaves from already existing leaves and does not have a direct impact on the plantation of banana trees. This technology of cellular enhancement can in fact be used for changing the cellular structure of the leaves of any plant and convert it into usable products and not just banana leaves, but they focus more on banana leaves because of its wide spread growth and easier availability. This technology does not alter the cultivation scale or the demand for banana leaves, says Adithyaa.
Advantages of using Banana Leaf technology Products:
- Using these banana leaf products ease the environment of a great burden. Replacing your everyday paper and plastic products with banana leaf products cut down on the amount of single use, non biodegradable plastic that ends up in landfills, in oceans or being eaten by animals. It also significantly reduces deforestation of the trees that are cut down to make paper and paper products.
- The increase in use of plastics and paper also has a major impact on the increasing global warming and by replacing them with eco friendly banana leaf products; there is a significant drop in the damage done to the environment and its inhabitants.
- Banana leaf technology products also have high polyphenols, which are natural antioxidants and have a positive impact on the body’s immune system as well as its metabolism. It is a hundred per cent organic and natural, and can easily be decomposed after use. The used products can also serve as animal fodder.
- This technology is not only environment friendly, but also very cost effective. The processing cost of one leaf is just 0.01 USD
This technology was invented and formulated in the year 2010 boy in south India in his home laboratory, which went on to win 7 International and 2 National Awards for this innovative solution to reducing non biodegradable waste and preventing the increase of environmentally destructive phenomenon such as global warming. This also serves as a solution to reducing the impacts of environmental threats such as deforestation, dumping waste into landfills, acidification of oceans and other water bodies due to marine debris and improper waste disposal, bleaching of corals and degradation of aquatic life and also soil erosion. Moreover, it reduces the use of single use paper and plastic, reduces the cutting down of trees, saves wildlife and also decreases the release of greenhouse gases.
With the current human practices causing a major burden on the environment and its resources, it is the need of the hour for everyone to shift to more environment friendly practices such as using Banana Leaf Technology Products as they are chemical free and completely biodegradable. They are also cost effective and this Banana Leaf Technology is, without a doubt, an innovative step towards solving the global environmental crisis.