(Photo credit: @oikosph)
Only a few weeks left before the 17th edition transpires at the World Trade Center Mertro Manila, IFEX Philippines marks another milestone with Sustainable Solutions Exchange (SSX), the country’s first sourcing program promoting sustainable goods, practices, resources, and technology, taking prominence with its own showcase at the Marketplace during the three-day fair.
For IFEX Philippines 2024, SSX stands to prioritize food security by highlighting and supporting people and places that value sustainability in various aspects of food, from sourcing to preparation, consumption, management up to disposal. Along with the vast array of food and ingredients on offer at IFEX Philippines, this dedicated space will see product lines that have been made through sustainable practices.
More than the latest in today’s food and drinks, IFEX Philippines is making bigger strides in championing the cause for a healthier community and environment. Apart from the selection of healthy food options for export and retail, lead event organizer Center for International Trade Expositions and Missions (CITEM) is helping buyers and visitors take part in this impactful journey – one cassava bag at a time. IFEX Philippines exhibitors and buyers will get to test the eco-friendly bag as it teams up with local manufacturer Oikos Philippines as the official sponsor of the event bags this year.
The concept of sustainability has long been touted across industries for years. Many businesses and individuals take the use of the term to heart in the same way others use sustainability as a promotional tool to drum up sales or a perfunctory commitment to uphold its public image.
For Oikos Philippines, it is letting its products do the talking. Made with zero plastic, the Oikos bag uses cassava as its main base material for this product line that functions similarly to a plastic bag, minus the harmful chemicals and processes. With its plant-based materials at play – cassava starches and vegetable oils, the cassava bags are gentle to the environment, eliminating the excuse for further deforestation and artificial waste and toxic retention on the ground, sea, and air. As plastic is almost forever, Oikos cassava bags biodegrade in three to six months. Product users also need not worry about elaborate means to properly dispose of the cassava bags since they dissolve in 70°-80° water, or above normal hot water temperature.
Aside from the grab bags to be seen at IFEX Philippines 2024, Oikos produces other naturally derived eco-friendly packaging for everyday use. This includes laundry bags you can throw in the washer along with the dirty clothes without worry as they will dissolve in the process. The company also has mailers and trash bags under its cassava line. Its corn bags with similar uses can also be good options in place of paper bags.
