Pack Solution: Alternative packaging that challenges Thailand’s foam industry
Champion cohort 6 (B.E. 2559) developing food packaging to replace foam, made from paper, bagasse and bioplastic, and biodegradable in 60 days
Translated from Thai · reviewed by the CF team
Foam is one of the most popular food packaging materials in Thailand. On average, each Thai person uses at least 1 foam box per day, resulting in as much as 70 million pieces of foam waste nationwide every day. Foam cannot be recycled and takes up to 200 years to decompose. When burned, it also releases chemicals that pollute the air, and the foam itself contains Styrene, which poses health risks, including the risk of leukaemia and lymphoma. Although some consumers are aware of these impacts, most street food businesses remain reliant on foam because it costs less than the alternatives.
Pack Solution joined BC4C in cohort 6 (B.E. 2559) with the idea of developing food packaging to replace foam, using materials such as paper, bagasse and bioplastic that biodegrade within 60 days. The packaging is environmentally friendly and poses no health risks. It is priced to be accessible to small-scale vendors, while consumer education work is carried out alongside this to gradually create demand for alternative packaging.
By Q3 of B.E. 2560, Pack Solution had more than 500 customers across 20 markets in 5 provinces: Bangkok, Buriram, Nakhon Ratchasima, Chanthaburi and Songkhla. It had replaced more than 3 million pieces of foam packaging.