Solutions to Problems Worth Solving: Compostable Tableware

With pandemic restrictions beginning to loosen up, it may very well be the beginning of the end of an era. An era where our culinary experiences are ruled by Uber Eats and Skip the Dishes. An era where we’ve grown accustomed to gratuitous monstrosities of food sitting in sauce-soaked containers and congealing in the backseat of a car.

Thus, as we return to some semblance of normal, one might even be open to hosting elegant dinner parties again. Parties where we can once again enjoy the company of others face-to-face. Parties where we used to take great care to pair the food with the right choice of wine and the right choice of beautifully designed compostable plates.

Yes, you read that correctly. Today we’re talking about compostable tableware invention design developed by WASARA.

WASARA

WASARA designs beautiful, minimalistic tableware – all of which, amazingly, are fully compostable. To create their intricate products, they use bamboo and bagasse – both are 100 per cent tree-free, renewable materials.

Not only does bamboo grow quickly, but it also has high tensile strength and is grown quite easily. There’s no need to use harmful pesticides or fertilizers. It also naturally regenerates from the roots, even in shallow and rocky soil making it a great material for this sustainable and compostable tableware invention design.

Bagasse comes from sugar cane. The process of extracting sugar from the sugarcane leaves a byproduct: the fibrous bagasse. Unfortunately, it’s a byproduct that isn’t particularly useful. You could use it for fuel. But as a fuel source, bagasse releases a substantial amount of CO2.

However, WASARA found a way to design tableware by using this compostable fiber as the paper base of their products. Typical paper products, like paper plates and other tableware, need wood pulp as the foundation. This contributes to deforestation, which has numerous negative effects on our environment and ecosystems. 

WASARA’s compostable tableware invention design “flows” in every sense of the word. Not just to fit the curvature of a person’s hands, almost ergonomically, but also when you store these products. “Texture like handmade Japanese paper, subtle shading, and the beautiful image of the dishes stacked on top of each other” is how they describe their tableware.

Indeed, judging from the pictures alone, you could easily mistake this tableware for a work of art. From bowls to plates to trays and everything in between, WASARA offers everything you need to make your next dinner party a success.

About: MAKO Design + Invent is the original firm providing world-class consumer product development services tailored to startups, small manufacturers, and inventors. Simply put, we are the leading one-stop-shop for developing your physical product from idea to store shelves, all in a high-quality, cost-effective, and timely manner. We operate as one powerhouse 30-person product design team spread across 4 offices to serve you (Austin, Miami, San Francisco, & Toronto). We have full-stack in-house industrial design, mechanical engineering, electrical engineering, patent referral, prototyping, and manufacturing services. To assist our startup and inventor clients, in addition to above, we help with business strategy, product strategy, marketing, and sales/distribution for all consumer product categories. Also, our founder Kevin Mako hosts The Product Startup Podcast, the industry's leading hardware podcast. Check it out for tips, interviews, and best practices for hardware startups, inventors, and product developers. Click HERE to learn more about MAKO Design + Invent!