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Made in Colombia: eco-friendly products to save the planet
Colombian entrepreneurship has generated innovative initiatives with a positive impact. Discover cricket flour, cassava bags, recycled plastic bricks, and other eco-friendly products made in Colombia.
Oxobiodegradable Straws
This Colombian product, manufactured by the company Promociones Fantásticas S.A.S, is a solution to the pollution caused by plastic straws.
Unlike traditional straws, this product degrades with sunlight and oxygen until it completely disappears without leaving any trace of dust. Currently, the product is sold in Latin America and the United States, and the company expects to take it to the European market in the coming years.
ArthroFood: Cricket Flour
Industrial microbiologist Yovanna Andrea Serrato and biologist Diego Alberto Cruz, graduates of Pontificia Universidad Javeriana, are the Colombian entrepreneurs behind ArthroFood, a company dedicated to the production of cricket flour.
With this project, created in 2015, they seek to eradicate hunger in vulnerable populations through the consumption of cricket flour, which, according to the research of Serrato and Cruz, has great nutritional properties.
Furthermore, since cricket flour is produced sustainably, this project protects the planet, as the protein production process using cricket flour, compared to other types of meat, emits 85% less greenhouse gases, uses 1,000 times less water, and requires 10 times less space.
Yuca Bags
The company Natpacking, led by a team of researchers headed by Jovany Pérez, has developed bags made from yuca starch that degrade in a maximum of 180 days, becoming an alternative to the plastic-based concept of traditional bags.
Natpacking is the first 100% organic packaging brand in Latin America, and its commitment to innovation and sustainable development is reflected in this product. “We use renewable raw materials that allow us to generate a positive impact on the conservation of the planet and offer new alternatives for households and industries in the region,” says the company.
Recycled Plastic Bricks
This venture by Cali musician Fernando Llanos has become a solution to the housing deficit in rural areas with low-income populations.
Thanks to this initiative, 70 tons of plastic are reused and turned into plastic bricks for building houses at a cost up to 30% lower than traditional construction.
In addition to the social and environmental impact of this project, it has been recognized for its innovation. In fact, in 2016, ‘Conceptos Plásticos,’ the company founded by Llanos and his partner Óscar Andrés Méndez, which manufactures these recycled bricks, won first place in The Venture 2016 competition.
Biodegradable Plates
Claudia Barona and Andrés Benavides are the two Colombians behind Lifepack, a Colombian startup that uses corn and pineapple to manufacture disposable plates that can be planted after being used.
“A seed is added to the paper during production, making germination possible. This line of biodegradable products is called Papelyco,” say the creators of this Colombian company, which has a presence in Cali, Bogotá, Medellín, Manizales, Neiva, Barranquilla, Villavicencio, and Palmira.
With these kinds of initiatives, the talent and creativity of Colombians have been put at the service of the world, raising the country’s name high. Click here to discover other stories of people who have become ambassadors of Colombia to the world.
