Leaf Republic, a company based in Munich, Germany, has made fully biodegradable plates out of leaves and is now shipping them around the world. They do not contain any chemicals, plastic, nor glue, and not a single tree is cut down to make them. Made entirely out of leaves, the products consist of three layers: leaves, water-proof leaf paper, and more leaves.
Creeper leaves, sourced mainly from India, are sewn together with the fibers of palm leaves. Impressively, these are the only materials used to make the tableware. In India eating off of plates made from leaves is nothing new. But Leaf Republic has developed a mold and engineered a pressing machine by which they can produce enough plates and bowls to ship to the rest of the world. They offer three sizes of plates and bowls, as well as trays. And they’re all biodegradable, decomposing 28 days from use with a shelf-life of about 18 months.
It’s wonderful to see Leaf Republic gaining traction in a world consumed and increasingly devastated by plastic. They have managed innovation and technological advancement with an inspiring, environmentally-conscious philosophy:
“We love to beautifully present things, to beautifully package them. Packaging is a part of our daily lives. There has always been packaging and there always will be. As the number of people and their consumption keep on growing, the packaging market has an impressive size all over the world – and now it is time to revolutionize it.
“Why we are doing this? Because we spend only a brief moment on this world. Everything we own is only temporary. What really counts is what we create, what we build up. What counts are our actions and our decisions. They last forever. They make up the true value of our being. If these actions lead to building up a sustainable, social, gainful company, then we will have the greatest job in the world.”
