Single-use products are a serious problem, not a solution. We are entering "Peak Everything" and the rule is "Use it up, wear it out, make it do or do without." There is no room for single use products. Everything must be sustainable or "least cost, end use" (long-term). Cheap oil made us think products should be "too cheap to meter." These products are archaic thinking.

Scott - I think you're missing it a bit. These products are made from material that would otherwise have been burned at the side of the road in India, plus they're employing people, plus they can be used multiple times. I definitely encourage durability in products, but I think these are a great solution to some needs.

Well put Dave. When situations call for non permanent eating utensils (ie a festival, a conference, etc) something like this, that makes use of resources otherwise disposed of and creating additional emissions, and decomposes after disposal, is a great option.

Whether one takes the long term inevitable view that yes, we must be free of disposable anything--in the meantime the reality is that most people change their ways slowly. I am employed by a building science/energy efficiency non-profit and we wrestle over this kind of detail regularly. Hosting events for mainstream clientele, you'd be surprised how many folks will refuse drinking water if it didn't come in a bottle, for instance. Does the transport fuel and dishwashing energy justify using durable place settings for off site events when the refuse can be much more easily tossed along with food waste into our compost pile instead? We use the compost for vegetable gardens anyway. So, there's no black and white comparison in the present though I think we all see the ultimate requirements of sustainability as being largely non-negotiable. I'd rather get 1000 people to wake up and take baby steps toward a greener lifestyle than be alone in the wilderness with one or two others that have zero ecological impact, but zero influence on the masses. A pickle to be sure. Anyway, I have researched compostableware extensively and this does indeed sound like a grand-slam solution. I'll be curious to see if it is verifiable that the plant oils/waxes, etc... are indeed food safe! There are many organic and natural plant chemicals that are quite unhealthy for particular uses. Chrysanthemum-based insecticide, for example.

In solidarity,

Chris Theal
www.southface.org

These plates sound great! I ran in to some Single Use Bamboo plates the other day labeled Eco Friendly. ????

I like the idea of compostable products, but how many people acutally compost it? I wonder..

Thanks for the update on these plates. I'll keep my eyes out.

So, what's their distribution system? Can I tell a conference organizaer to tell her/his caterer to insist on these utensils? What's the relative cost when compared to alternatives ... and where are all those data readily available? (are they?)

I'll see if I can get the CEO to chime in on this. Great discussion, all!

Hi all, I am the founder of this company, and I just wanted to jump in and address a few of these issues, but first I am glad to see that this product is driving an important conversation, and as Chris pointed out there are no black and white answer in sustainability. there are people out there that do not use any single use products and I applaud them, but there are also those that want the convenience. We view our product as a step forward in that it is made from fallen leave that would have been burned, use no chemicals and are compostable in home composters or industrial composting facilities. Is this a solution to the world's problems? Absolutely not, but it is a lower impact option, and I would ask naysayser to please look at it like that. A plate made from oil that will be fodder for landfill or a VerTerra plate made from leaves that will compost.

So that you all understand the point of view we had in creating VerTerra, my team and I spent 2 years working with many materials and developed this new one using only fallen leaves steam heat and pressure to prove that you can have a sustainably produced product that was beautiful (in opposition to the dark brown recycled paper products), with NO chemicals glues or bonding agents, with better functionality (oven, fridge and microwave safe). Currently 8% of all oil is farmed into plastic and 3% is used for single use items, to us this was unacceptable.

In a comparison to permenent dishes, the ones that we buy for home use are very well made, the ones used in industrial settings are not that well made, and they typically last 5-10 months before they chip or break and can no longer be used. The washers for these machines are rarely filled to capacity and are old and inefficient. The detergents used on dishes need to be treated in the waste stream, and there are the general issues of water use and electricity.

We realized that the traditional paper and plastic products as well as broken perm plates end up in landfill, we hope that by offering people convenience and the ability to compost food and plate together, there is a better chance that they will.

In regards to concerns of safty, we have had each of the types of leaves we use tested individually as well as our finished product tested for any and all likely health concerns. As well we have had all the testing done on our product for compostability.

I hope this addresses the concerns above, if I missed something please do feel free to list specific questions again.

Hi Michael, I applaud the innovation here to a much better offering than plastic.

What about expanding this into an idustrial packaging solution ? Maybe a type of cardboard alternative that can be composed after used instead of made into pulp and recycled ?

Eventualy we would like to expand into other products but for now we will just focus on making the best dishware.

Thank you for a great article, about a great product.

Thank you for a great article, about a great product.

Have seen the plates and really liked them...until I saw the price...ouch. In order to compete in the marketplace they need to drop their price 5x. When I was introduced to them they were portrayed as being "dishwasher" safe. They seem like they would crack with high pressure water, but I could be wrong. Couldn't talk the company I was working with to purchase a few even though they really liked them, because of $/plate.

It is an issue, but for durable, non toxic, cleanly made product, I think they're worth the cost. We pay more for cage free eggs, fair trade coffee, and eco friendly clothing, why not for some stylish,unique plates?

Also, depending on the volume, I believe the prices are malleable.

I think this is great. Since I live in the U.S. my question is if there is a plan to open a plant and manufacture in the U.S.?

I'm not a "disposable" person, but once in a blue moon there is a need and I would definitely prefer these over petroleum based product.

That said... I would also avoid these because they are not manufactured in the U.S., and I would probably find a way NOT to use disposables.

And as a side note... those leaves that were used to make these compostable dishes COULD have been used to make plain old compost. Locally. I'm not saying they WOULD have... just that they COULD.

And I'm not singling out Verterra (well, actually I guess I am since this post is about them..), but I'm also getting a bit leery and tired of this line "...employees receive fair wages in safe working conditions and are provided access to healthcare." Verterra may be the best employer on the planet... I really have no idea... but I'm going to need something more than that line to convince me.

I'm not really sure how this company can say they spent 2 years developing this and then be awarded all these awards when this is something that has been done in India for years. There are plenty of other companies doing this. Just google it.

Yep!! Just search for Arecanut! These plates are made form Arecanut Sheath... and have been used in India for ages...

The Verterra site says that the idea was inspired by Indian food vendors using leaf based plates, nothing hidden about that.

I've used leaf based plates years before, and while quaint, they aren't good for much more than the immediate use. These, I can now say from experience, are tough, durable, and can be washed and reused. I inquired, and found that some people have reused them 20 times. And aesthetically they are the best I've seen yet, and I've used a lot of bioware in my day.

I run a small taqueria and recently made the decision to use compostable plates, bowls, cold cups and hot cups. We are simply unable (no matter how hard I try to figure it out) able to use reuseable dishes, as we set up once a week at a farmers market and have very limited seating and washing capacity. The stuff I have comes from a local distributor but is shipped via Colorado and China. It is made of corn. Where I live we have superb community composting facilities and I have no problem imagining these bio-degrading as planned.

I was pleased with this decision until I heard a feature on the radio today, discussing the merits of plastic vs. these types of products. While one gentleman discussed the problems with plastic (it never goes away!), another scientist made a compelling argument against corn based compostable products that take much more energy to produce, take valuable farmland from food production, place too much emphasis on an already over produced crop and generate a great deal of carbon emissions, more than plastic production generates. I hate the thought of traditional plastic adding to the landfill but now am giving pause to my earlier decision. If this scientist is right, why wouldn't I save my money and go with a simple paper plate (do you think I could find unbleached?) that should rot quickly and traditional plastic cups? I would likely stick with the compostable bowls and hot cups as I can't stomach styrofoam....

Any advice? I am really torn up! I am trying to make a responsible decision and provide some leadership in this area.

Hi, Find it interesting to read about this, since we are the company that developed this product commonly known as a bioplate , over 14 years ago.The initiative was actually started to give work to farmers who had formerly been collecting areca nuts, and due to the falling market and tough competition were loosing their livliehoods.In answer to the person who said he is sick of the Fair Wages Line, I am in agreeance, and that is why "this" initiative go to www.ecofriendunit.com is the topper here.
Its the business model that is the star of the SHOW, not so much the product, which surely is fantastic, since it turns a waste product into a useful and enviromentaly friendly product and the bonus is, by supporting a product such as this we give the third world an opportunity to gain self respect by supporting their handwork, without having to give CHARITY.
While there is no doubt Michale Dwork is a savvy marketing person, its not fair that he claims any credit for "Developing this product"
The testing for arket viability was done long long before Michale came along, and in fact our initiative now supports 300 families, and has resulted in may carbon companies.I say carbon, becasue we have started a business model that can be replicated,and its a win win situation for the Villagers, the enviroment and the consumer...
So we dont mind the copy cats,
BUT
Credit should go to the innovators, who toiled long and hard before anyone gave a damn about the enviroment,Please do contact me if you wish to know more...

CORRECTION to my above post
" 3000 "families, are supported,"
and we dont operate from facories, we run our supply chain throughout the village network.Ie Simple people, leading simples lives making a simle product.
do contact me if you wish to know more.
rambanita@gmail.com