A few weeks ago, we wrote about a supermarket in Thailand that had a surprisingly simple solution to plastic packaging: banana leaves. Instead of wrapping goods such as cucumbers and lettuce in plastic, the store simply used leftover banana leaves.
A local real estate person spotted the leaf-covered produce and posted a photo online. The rest, as they say, is history. The photo went viral in a matter of days, prompting a whole bunch of supermarkets in Thailand and Vietnam are following suit. Banana leaves can grow up to 9 feet in length, and their sturdiness makes them an ideal form of packaging for fresh produce that sells quickly (because they’re biodegradable, they can’t sit on the shelf for months). With Thailand and Vietnam being two of the five countries that account for 60 percent of the plastic in the world’s oceans, it’s positive to hear supermarkets are actively looking to change their ways.
