Professor Makes 100% Biodegradable Straws Using Coconut Leaves, Has Sold 20 Million

Last July, India banned single-use plastic items such as plastic straws, plates, knives, and cutlery. But much before the ban, this Bengaluru-based startup Sunbird Straws has been doing its bit to curb plastic pollution with its unique innovation.

Saji Varghese, an associate professor at Christ University Bengaluru, makes straws from coconut leaves. The idea to make such straws came to him when he noticed several dry coconut leaves lying on the campus ground.

“Each year a coconut tree naturally loses up to six of its leaves. These leaves are simply burnt due to the difficulty in their disposal. So in 2017, I decided to create an eco-friendly product using coconut leaves,” says the 51-year-old.

In just two years, he developed unique coconut leaf straws. As per Saji, nearly 200 straws can be made from one fallen coconut front.

Created using a chemical-free process, the patented multi-layered straw has natural anti-fungal and hydrophobic outer and inner walls. These are 100 percent biodegradable and can be used in any drink for up to three hours. Each straw is priced at Rs 5.

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Saji claims to have received orders for more than 20 million straws from over 10 countries and has been honoured globally. He also employs 100 rural women from Kerala, Tamil Nadu, and Karnataka to produce the drinking straws.

Watch how Saji makes straws from coconut leaves in this video:

Edited by Pranita Bhat