TAIPEI, TAIWAN - Media OutReach- 27 October 2020 - Taiwan not only invented bubble teathat has created a global phenomenon, one of the country's vibrant startupfirms has also come up with eco versions of straws that allow you sip throughand enjoy chewy tapioca balls, or oversized 'bubbles', in beverages. Among manygreen solutions providers, TaiwanPlants Fiber Tech Alliance(PFTA) makes plastic-free, bio-degradable strawsand cutlery out of sugarcanes and other agricultural waste. It now aims toexpand the green product to the US.

PFTAfocuses on circular application of agricultural materials and natural plantfiber, such as sugarcane fiber straw, fulfilling the concept of zero waste.

According to the World Bank, the worldproduced 242 million tons of plastic waste in 2016, 57 million tons originatedfrom Asia Pacific, 45 million tons from Europe and Central Asia, and 35 milliontons from North America, and that there will be more plastic in the oceans thanfish in 2050 if no action is taken.

In addition, recycling systems around theworld are breaking down due to Covid-19 budget strains. Recycling is notenough; a more creative solution is replacing plastic. As Taiwan's bubble teahas taken the world by storm in recent years, its indispensable partner, thestraw, is becoming eco-friendly and cool.

PFTA chose sugarcane and plant fibers asraw materials to make one-time or reusable cutlery. Its sugarcane straw isnicknamed 'savior for bubble tea lovers' since Taiwan, home of bubble tea,banned the use of plastic straws at the end of 2019. But long before that,PFTA's sugarcane straw was already welcomed by the Canadian market.

" In 2016, I posted our sugarcane straw on social media to celebratethe success of its commercialization after years of R&D efforts. Aninterested party from Canada immediately contacted me. He ordered twocontainers right away," said James Chen, founder and CEO of PFTA. Even if sugarcanestraws are twice as expensive as plastic ones, orders from Canada continued toincrease. Now this very first customer of PFTA has become its business partnerin Canada and has established production lines in Edmonton.

"Sugarcane is grown in abundance in Taiwan. In the Japanesecolonial age, sugarcane was a pillar of local economy. Until today, manyelderly in Taiwan still share the childhood memories of chewing sugarcanes forfun. Therefore, we manufacture sugarcane straws when there are straws made fromcornstarch, paper, bamboo or stainless steel." Chen said.

He said that another reason he chose to usesugarcane is to help reduce agricultural waste. Taiwan is "the kingdom offruits and vegetables". Abundant agricultural produce means abundant waste. Peelsof pineapples, bananas, papayas, or even coffee grounds can be a burden to theenvironment since they produce methane in the compost or landfills and increaseCO2 emission when incinerated.

ASEAN governments also welcome sugarcanestraws as bubble tea is getting more popular in their countries. Thailand isthe first to adopt PFTA's sugarcane straws. Malaysia banned the use of plasticstraws in 2019, Bali and Jakarta of Indonesia banned them in 2020. Striving fora greener future and enforcing its marketing efforts, PFTA approached GreenTrade Project Office (GTPO) under Taiwan's Ministry of Economic Affairs foroverseas promotional support.

Sugarcane straw is just one of PFTA's manyplastic-free products. The company core technology is in its green materials:PFP (Plant Fiber Polymer) No.1 for making reusable products such as plates,bowls, toys, and building materials; and PFP No.2 for single use straws,spoons, and forks.

Chen said that compared with many othercountries, the US is a late-comer in adopting green, biodegradable sugarcanestraws. This means great market potentials for PFTA. "we are dedicated toestablishing a zero-plastic future and circular economy. It's a long, hardjourney but we have confidence because we've seen more and more peopleanswering our call."