Bupa has expanded its partnership with Cassava Bags Australia in a pilot that will see the health and care company start to move away from utilising a range of single-use plastics across its national network of Health Insurance stores, dental practices and corporate offices.
Cassava Bags Australia produces 100 per cent natural, biodegradable and compostable bags and other products made from the Cassava plant – a starchy root vegetable. They were winners of Bupa’s 2022 eco-Disruptive competition, which connects start-ups with dedicated Bupa teams to help develop innovative solutions to the biggest environmental challenges facing our planet.
As part of the initial pilot, Bupa will begin utilising products such as 100 per cent biodegradable Cassava Bags Australia bin liners and kitchen waste products along with clinical products such as headrests and tray sleeves across a number of Bupa Dental practices around Australia.
Roger Sharp, Bupa’s Chief Sustainability & Corporate Affairs Officer for Asia Pacific said this partnership is extremely important in demonstrating that Bupa can deliver healthcare in more sustainable ways by collaborating and thinking innovatively.
"As a large organisation, we currently use thousands of plastic products every year that are necessary for hygiene and often cannot be reused or recycled, so taking action to find sustainable alternatives which we can incrementally scale up is a real priority for us.
“This partnership is a testament to our people who worked with Cassava Bags Australia as part of Bupa’s eco-Disruptive program and we can’t wait to see what comes next,” Roger said.
This announcement builds on an existing initiative from Bupa Dental to start to move away from plastics across a range of common dental care products such as cups, syringe sleeves, barrier film and X-Ray sensor sleeves.
Bruce Rossi, CEO and President of Purpose of Cassava Bags Australia said this pilot will aim to showcase how small steps can make a big difference when it comes to sustainability in healthcare.
“With Bupa’s support, we look forward to developing new initiatives across the consumer, business and healthcare sectors to help stem the tide of global plastic pollution,” said Mr Rossi.
Bupa’s partnership with Cassava Bags Australia and the eco-Disruptive program play an important role in Bupa’s global sustainability strategy.
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In a recent live interview, COO Telusa Mapapalangi sat down with Richard Pascoe to discuss their ambitious plans to change the world. Telusa Mapapalangi, known for their innovative ideas and dedication to social change, shared insights into the strategies and goals that drive their organization.
During the conversation, Mapapalangi elaborated on the importance of harnessing technology and creativity to tackle some of the most pressing global issues. By focusing on sustainable development, social equality, and environmental conservation, their organization aims to make a significant impact on the world.
Mapapalangi also emphasized the need for collaboration among governments, corporations, and individuals to drive change. They believe that by fostering a culture of innovation and encouraging people to think outside the box, we can find creative solutions to the challenges we face.
In addition, Mapapalangi shared their thoughts on the role of education in shaping future generations. They stressed the importance of empowering young people with the knowledge and tools necessary to become agents of change and contribute to a more equitable and sustainable world.
Throughout the interview, Mapapalangi's passion for their mission was evident. Their unwavering commitment to making a positive impact on the world serves as an inspiration to others and highlights the potential for change when individuals come together to work towards a common goal.
As the conversation came to a close, Mapapalangi expressed optimism for the future, reiterating their belief that with the right mindset and resources, we can overcome the obstacles that stand in our way and create a better world for everyone.
]]>The team at Cassava Bags Australia is not content with saving the planet with their plastic free single use bags that dissolve within minutes in hot water, they also want to thank their shareholders by rewarding them with the world’s first investor NFT catalogue.
We are determined to do things differently at Cassava Bags Australia,” Cassava Bags Australia, chief operating officer, Telusa Mapapalangi said.
We want to make single use plastic bags history by replacing them with a fully organic all natural bag made out of the Cassava plant that completely breaks down in the earth within a matter of months and can also be consumed by marine life should it find its way into our oceans. And yes, our bags are not only strong and robust, they also dissolve within minutes in hot water,” Mapapalangi said.
We also want to reward our investors with NFTS. NFTs are becoming increasingly popular as more and more people move into the crypto space. Essentially, NFTs are a digital image or piece of art that can be sold to others directly or via NFT trading platforms.
We decided to do this as measure of our thanks to our investors. We are undertaking a fund raising round at the moment to meet the cost of expansion via the Birchal equity crowdfunding platform and we want to ensure we have truly acknowledged everyone’s valued contribution in the form of a unique Cassava Bags NFT.
Hopefully over time the NFTs will grow in value and be recognised for their stance in helping to de-plasticify the planet.”
According to Mapapalangi, when Cassava Bags Australia began looking at ways to reward investors, the standard options were either producing branded memorabilia or gifting merchandise, so the team started looking at other options including NFTs.
In line with our theme of keeping things real and unique, we enlisted creative production agency Relator to create a range of innovative NFTs with allocated values to them,” Mapapalgani said.
Initially we were concerned about the energy consumption of the blockchain industry as sustainability is a core value of the business. To address this, our NFTs will be minted on Tezos. It is a well-known and reliable proof of stake blockchain that operates with lower energy requirements than others.
We have created five tiers of NFTs tied to investment value. Each NFT has been uniquely designed to reflect the style, aim and ethos of sustainability and humanity’s progress towards the green economy.
Every investor will receive one of our unique NFTs based on the value of their investment.
Who knows, our NFTs might become so unique they grow in value and become collectors’ items. That is the beauty of NFTs, it is a new and emerging area of crypto with so much growth and potential ahead.”
Cassava Bags Australia produces non plastic all natural single use bags made from the Cassava plant. The Cassava is a nutty flavoured starchy root vegetable that is extremely versatile and commonly used to make tapioca.
The Cassava starch is extracted and combined with organic components to create a biodegradable film which is then used in the manufacture of non-plastic bags and other items.
The business was established by three millennials and business colleagues with a love for the great outdoors - Delarossi, Chun Lau and Telusa Mapapalangi.
Our company is founded on the belief that businesses can be a force for good and that the actions of people, both individually and collectively, have the power to change the world,” Mapapalangi emphasised.
About Cassava Bags Australia
Established in 2019, Cassava Bags Australia is a new company based in Sydney. The company produces a range of environmentally-friendly single use bag products, such as bin liners, shopping and fruit and vegetable bags and pet waste bags that can biodegrade in home composting, landfill and composting facilities without leaving any toxins behind. The company aims help businesses reduce their plastic footprint by making better choices to eradicate single use plastic.
Business daily media
https://www.businessdailymedia.com/business-news/15561-aussie-innovators-reward-investors-with-sustainability-nfts
]]>Meet Canny Leung founder of Pawfect Doggy Day Spa in Sydney who is blazing a path of sustainability to save the planet from plastic pet waste bags
Canny Leung is blazing a path of sustainability to save the planet from the evil clutches of plastic. She is the founder of Pawfect Doggy Day Spa in Sydney – a respected pet grooming business with a growing loyal base of customers.
“I used to fly all over the world as cabin crew with Qantas enjoying international cities, wonderful hotels and exotic locations, but every time I went away, I really missed my Maltese Shih Tzu, Birchy,” Leung said.
“When COVID hit, my hours were reduced and I worked part time. This enabled me to spend more time with my puppy dog. The more I went away, the more I missed her.
“So, in the midst of a pandemic, I threw in my job and decided to start my own pet grooming business. I loved grooming my own dog, but so many of my friends with pets didn’t really know how to groom their dog and asked me for their help.
“What started as a friend helping others out has turned into a thriving business. In two years, my business has grown quickly and I am as busy as ever. Oh, and I now have three Maltese Shih Tzus."
Leung said that once the business was underway she couldn’t believe the amount of plastic they were consuming and throwing away
“There was so much plastic involved in everything that we did,” Leung said.
“I realised pretty quickly that I had to try and make changes in the business if I was going to become more sustainable. I started by buying refill products where I could for consumables such as shampoo and other washing liquids.
“I also looked at ways we could conserve water in our day to day operations, utilise environmental friendly products, recycle and purpose items and cut back on energy consumption.
“Pets poop a lot and we were using lots of poop bags every day. I looked around online to see if I could find a more ecological solution for our plastic poop bags and came across Cassava Bags Australia and their amazing 100 percent natural biodegradable poop bags that contain no plastic whatsoever.
“From the minute we started using them, we couldn’t believe how practical and sturdy they were. Not only do we use them in the doggy day spa, we also sell them to our customers. We sell three rolls of 30 bags for $8.99. We love them and our customers love them too.
“It is good to know that we are doing something good for the environment.”
CEO of Cassava Bags Australia, Bruce Delarossi agrees.
“Doggie poop bags are a huge problem in Australia,” Delarossi said.
“In addition to pet owners, local councils are big polluters. They literally go through millions of plastic poop bags every year making the bags available for free through pet waste bag dispensers for pet owners across parks, shorelines and walking trails.
“Households, pet businesses and councils could make such a huge difference to the environment by using only Cassava all-natural single use poop bags.”
According to Delarossi, changes need to be made across all sections of the community because too many plastic pet poop bags are ending up in water ways and in landfill and they are damaging marine life and the environment.
“The best solution is to dispose of your pet waste using a single use poop bag that is completely non plastic, all-natural and entirely biodegradable. This is why we created a Cassava plant based bag to ensure pet owners are able to pick up and throw away their pet’s poop safely and sustainably,” he said.
Four reasons to use a biodegradable pet poop bag
1. It makes sense to put degradable matter in a degradable bag
“Picking up poops using an all-natural biodegradable bag makes sense. Poop is organic and it can’t break down back into the earth if it is placed in a plastic bag that takes up to 500 years to break down in landfill. Using a bag like a Cassava poop Bag means the bag will break down in months therefore allowing the poop to breakdown as well,” Delarossi said.
2. Single use natural bags break down quickly in the earth, leaving no plastic
Delarossi explained that one of the biggest battles the earth faces is dealing with an overload of plastic.
“If we are going to help save the planet, we have to remove plastic from everyday use,” he said.
“Where ever we can, we must replace plastic bags with single use non plastic bags. The Cassava pet poop bag is 100 percent plant based which means that it breaks back down into the earth leaving behind no residue what so ever.
“They are completely safe to dispose of and they are 100 percent biodegradable in home composting, landfill and our waterways and don’t leave any toxins behind. They dissolve in water and are biodegrade in the ocean, leaving behind no micro plastics.
“We have all seen images of marine life entangled in plastic. We have to do something to stop this from happening and using plant based bags like Cassava Bags will make a huge difference.”
3. Single use natural bags are very robust and tough
“Single use bags are all about sanitation and convenience. You use them once and then you throw them away. If you’re at all worried that a bag made from natural products is somehow inferior in quality, then think again,” Delarossi emphasised.
“Single use natural bags are very tough and durable. You do not have to worry about bags tearing and getting your hands dirty with pet poop; they are fit for purpose.”
4. The price difference is negligible
“Commercial research has found that nearly 50 percent of consumers are more inclined to look for and purchase eco-friendly and sustainable products when shopping however price is still a consideration,” Delarossi explained.
“The good news is that Cassava Bags are cost effective however there are reasons why some environmentally friendly products cost more. The plastic industry is decades old and has been developed globally at a massive scale offering cheap yet dirty products. Sustainable and organic materials do cost more to grow and manufacture than mass produced chemicals, however as this industry matures cost will get better. If a company produces eco-friendly products, then it’s highly likely that this will be the same for their business practices. These things add up.
“Sustainable living is on the rise, however, demand has not yet reached a point where sustainable products are considered as profitable as mass produced ones. The hope is that consumers will continue to make choices that are better for the environment and help to change the climate of consumption of mass-produced products.
“How do you put a price on our future, come on Australia, let’s do better!“
About Cassava Bags Australia
Established in 2019, Cassava Bags Australia is a new company based in Sydney. The company produces a range of environmentally-friendly single use bag products, such as pet waste bags that can biodegrade in home composting, landfill and composting facilities without leaving any toxins behind. The company aims help businesses reduce their plastic footprint by making better choices to eradicate single use plastic.
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The Sydney-based company, which manufactures and sells biodegradable bags and film derived from cassava, is planning to raise a Series A of up to AUD 3.5m (USD 2.5m) in the first quarter ahead of a potentially larger Series Bin 12 to 24 months, Lau said. It welcomes investor approaches, especially from impact investors and those that have experience scaling similar firms, he added.
The Series A is being run via Australian equity crowdfunding platform Birchal, but it “will definitely need” corporate advisors in the future for rounds to come, Lau said.
The Series A capital will be used in part to add sales and administrative headcount, and to increase manufacturing capacity to keep up with growing demand for its “zero waste packaging”, the co-founder continued. The Series B, with the amount not yet decided, will fund international expansion, possibly to Europe or Asia, among other things, he said without elaborating.
Lau owns the company with co-founders Bruce Rossi and Telusa Mapapalangi, and another undisclosed business partner.
Cassava Bags’ products, derived from cassava, are “completely organic” and unique in the domestic market, Lau said. He pointed to Australian sustainable packaging company BioPak as an indirect rival.
The company extracts cassava and combines it with organic components to formulate the biodegradable film used in its products, according to its website. Its bags are not petroleum-based and are 100% non-toxic, free of polyactic acid and bisphenol, and designed to be single-use, causing no environmental harm, per its website.
Cassava is a plant from the American tropics commonly used for its tuberous roots, from which cassava flour,breads, tapioca, a laundry starch, and an alcoholic beverage are derived.
by Sam McKeith in Sydney 4 February 2022
Copyright © https://www.mergermarket.com/info/
]]>Cassava Bags Australia has launched what it describes as “the world’s first truly biodegradable single-use bag and liner range”.
The non-toxic products are said to be 100% plastic-free, won’t break down into microplastics and in theory should not leave behind any plastic footprint.
Cassava is a hardy drought tolerant root vegetable native to South America which is now grown in many countries across the world.
Bruce Delarossi, co-founder and chief executive of Cassava Bags Australia, said: “We are incredibly proud and very excited to be rolling out this extraordinary invention to the rest of the world – a single-use bags and liners that are made from the cassava plant and dissolves in hot water.
“Cassava is a nutty flavoured starchy root vegetable that is extremely versatile. The most common consumed part is the root. It can be eaten whole or grated and ground into flour to make bread. It is the raw material that is also used to make tapioca,” Delarossi said.
“What we have done is extract and combine it with organic components to create a biodegradable film. This is the first time anyone in the world has done this and we have achieved this without the use of any petroleum or toxins.”
Delarossi’s colleagues behind the newly launched brand are Chun Lau and Telusa Mapapalangi.
“We already have a range of products in production. These include bin liners, pet waste bags, mail-out bags, aprons, sanitation covers and a range of carry retail bags.
He added that the products have been tested by internationally-recognised companies as a plastic-free and biodegradable product.
Delarossi is expecting Cassava Bags to become a household brand across Australia and the rest of the world.
Non-plastic single use bags that are not only super strong and robust, but will dissolve in hot water in a matter of minutes, are safe for marine life and will break down in the soil without leaving behind any plastic or toxic residue or particles.
Cassava Bags Australia has launched the world’s first truly biodegradable single-use bag and liner range and it is set to kill off single-use plastic across the globe forever. The ground breaking non-toxic products are 100 percent plastic-free, won’t break down into micro plastics and will never leave behind any plastic footprint on the earth.
According to Chun Lau, cofounder and CEO of Cassava Bags Australia, plastic bags are a scourge on the planet. Not only are they one of the biggest causes of environmental catastrophes our race has ever seen, they take many years to decompose, release toxic substances into the soil, air and oceans and kill billions of creatures across the planet.
“Our determination to create a truly biodegradable single-use bag has been driven by our desire to save the planet,” Lau said.
“A lot of people say they are going to do it, but we really have and we are incredibly proud and very excited to be rolling out this extraordinary invention to the rest of the world – a single-use bags and liners that are made from the cassava plant and dissolves in hot water.”
Cassava is a hardy drought tolerant root vegetable native to South America which is now grown in many countries across the world.
“Cassava is a nutty flavoured starchy root vegetable that is extremely versatile. The most common consumed part is the root. It can be eaten whole or grated and ground into flour to make bread. It is the raw material that is also used to make tapioca,” Lau said.
“What we have done is extract and combine it with organic components to create a biodegradable film. This is the first time anyone in the world has done this and we have achieved this without the use of any petroleum or toxins.”
Three millennials and business colleagues with a love for the great outdoors are behind the newly launched brand – Lau, Bruce Delarossi and Telusa Mapapalangi.
“Our company is founded on the belief that businesses can be a force for good and that the actions of people, both individually and collectively, have the power to change the world,” Lau emphasised.
“We spent a lot of time outdoors beach camping, surfing and snowboarding. But when we went on trips, we constantly found plastic accumulation in the environment across both land and the ocean.
“Experiencing first-hand the impact of pollution on the planet we decided to ensure we played a role in promoting the sustainability of Australia and the world – and so commenced our journey of research and development and Cassava Bags Australia was born.
“We already have a range of products in production. These include bin liners, pet waste bags, mail out bags, aprons, sanitation covers and a range of carry retail bags.
“Our products have been tested by internationally recognised companies as a plastic-free and biodegradable product. For example, it would only take three to six months for our bags to biodegrade in soil, or just a few days to dissolve in the ocean. They can even be safely consumed by marine animals!
“By contrast, it takes 500 years for a normal plastic bag to break down. Australians use a whopping ten million new plastic bags per day. Plastic bags do not go away. They break up into smaller and smaller pieces of plastics. Our whales, turtles, fish and sea birds are swallowing these things. It’s killing them. They need our help.”
Lau believes that Cassava Bags will become a household brand across Australia and the rest of the world.
“Consumers are making their wishes known; they want to consume sustainable products,” Lau said.
“Short term, we want to ensure our products are distributed nationally and will be available across retailers, hospitality and medical sectors to name a few. Beyond this, we want to expand into the global market.
“We also want to work towards restoring natural habitats like the Great Barrier Reef, and we want to negate the effects of climate change. It’s a tall order, but if we all do our part to swap out plastic bags for our cassava bags, it’ll be a great start to working together to achieve our dream of a cleaner planet.”
About Cassava Bags Australia
Cassava Bags Australia is a new company based in Sydney, that produces the world’s first truly biodegradable bag and liners. The products are all-natural and are 100 percent non-toxic, Polyactic acid (PLA) free and Bisphenol (BPA) free and are designed to be used as a single-use product. Cassava Bags Australia’s products take just three minutes to dissolve in hot water, or six months to biodegrade in soil. The products only take a few days to dissolve in the ocean and are safe for marine life to consume. The company believes that both individuals and businesses can have the power to change the world by making sustainable choices and reducing their plastic footprint.
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