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Filipino Plastics Manufacturer Innovates Plant Fiber Blend

While it isn’t a pure alternative to plastic, natural fiber composites might just help mitigate the country’s plastic production

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Processing abaca fiber in Sogod, Southern Leyte. Abaca. Photo by Robert Tagra

D&L Industries has developed technology to turn “worthless piles of natural fibers” into eco-friendly plastics, the company said on Tuesday, January 14.

Through its subsidiary, D&L Polymer & Colours, Inc. (DLPC), D&L said it is “spearheading technological advancements in making plastics sustainable.”

“The Philippines has an endless supply of natural fibers that are mostly deemed as waste,” said DLPC President and CEO Lester Lao, referring to earlier explorations on the potential of abaca fiber as an alternative to plastic.

He adds that the technology to process abaca fibers at scale did not exist prior. “More than two decades later, with the various advancements in technology, we are finally seeing our vision come to fruition.”

Photos of vetiver creates, an abaca floor mat, and an abaca waste bin
Sample products made of natural fiber composites. Photo from D&L Industries

According to D&L, the technology was initially only used on abaca fibers, but proved to be flexible enough for other local plant fibers like pineapple, bakong, and vetiver. “The resulting natural fiber composites can replace up to 40 percent of polymers in the formulation of the various consumer and industrial products that are traditionally made of plastics, thus helping minimize plastic usage,” the export processing firm said.

It also said that the plant fiber plastic products can be “recycled or diverted using the typical waste systems” and are compostable.

A Shift From Plastics?

From consumer goods and their packaging to machinery used in manufacturing and construction, plastic is present in various industries and sectors — and nearly every aspect of our lives.

Likewise, harm permeates the life cycle of plastic. Fossil fuels are burned in production, contributing to global warming, while in disposal, plastic thrown in landfills and the ocean threatens ecosystems.

A Senate brief on reducing single-use plastics says that the Philippines imported 1.98 million tonnes of plastic raw materials, plastic products, and plastic packaging in 2021, exporting 393,000 tonnes of the same to other countries the same year. The World Wildlife Fund estimates that 2.15 million tonnes of plastic materials were produced for local consumption in 2019. The brief also says that the Philippines generates 4.52 million tonnes of plastic waste a year.

In recent years, researchers and businesses have made efforts to mitigate the use of plastic. In 2019, University of San Carlos graduate Denxybel Montinola created a plastic alternative using mango peels and seaweed. In 2024, researchers from University of the Philippines Los Baños developed Polyhydroxyalkanoates (PHAs), a bioplastic formed by fermenting bacteria.

Some businesses like the cafés El Union and Del Union Coffee use plant-based, biodegradable cups, while chain café Zus Coffee uses compostable, edible, and “turtle-friendly” rice straws. Other food and beverage establishments are going back to paper cups and straws. But whether the country can ever shift totally away from plastic production and waste remains to be seen.

As for DLPC and its plant fiber plastics, the firm says it is “currently doing the ground work to make [the technology] available and used at scale.” DLPC is also in talks with potential partners that are interested in using natural fiber composites for their plastic products.

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