Coop ‘upcycling’ dried banana leaves

PAGADIAN CITY(MindaNews/8 January)—Dried banana leaves may not have many uses. But for farmers and persons deprived of liberty (PDLs) here, dried banana leaves can be turned into something useful, like canvasses for artworks,  beads, special papers for certificates, home decors, and other wearable items.

Julienne Stephanie Fabie, managing director of Pagbayaw, Inc., told  MindaNews a cooperative has been upcycling dried banana leaves, turning the dried leaves, which often just end up as trash left to rot, into a source of livelihood.

Fabie said, the product begins with having dried banana leaves upcycled by the Sagun Farmers Producers Cooperative chaired by Jimmy Sorabia, a former Overseas Filipino Worker.

“Jimmy (Sorabia) noticed a pile of unas or dried banana leaves in his backyard which he thought can be upcycled and can become a source of livelihood. Jimmy called DOST (Department of Science and Technology) which referred to me. I was then working on a DOST-funded project on bioplastics from agricultural wastes while concurrently collaborating with Persons Deprived of Liberty in creating handmade papers as a source of livelihood,” Fabie told MindaNews, saying that this was in the middle of the pandemic.

Julienne Stephanie Fabie, managing director of Pagbayaw, Inc. during the turn-over or equipment from the  staff of Sen. Loren Legarda through the Department of Labor and Employment. Photo courtesy of Pagbayaw, Inc.

Fabie then presented the idea of upcycling dried banana leaves as a step in having livelihood opportunities.

“After thorough research, I have learned that there are 444,000 hectares of banana plantations in the Philippines, which can generate around 2.66 billion kg. of dried banana leaves in a span of six months, with the island of Mindanao ranking first as the top-producing area,” Fabie said.

Fabie, an associate professor at the Western Mindanao State University, observed that the voluminous amount of dried banana leaves is usually burnt or left to degrade on its own, thereby releasing harmful chemicals in the process.

She then started Unvas offering paper-based materials and products generated from dried banana leaves.

“The heart and core of Unvas is that it provides income among the partner communities of Pagbayaw, Inc., a non-profit organization committed to provide technology-based livelihood among marginal communities in the Philippines,” Fabie said.

Unvas then became the primary material sold for income generation not only to the members of the Sagun Farmers Producers Cooperative, PDLs from Pagadian City, working youth from Western Mindanao State University Pagadian Campus, a group of women from Liangan in Vincenzo Sagun, Zamboanga del Sur, the PDLs from Ramon Magsaysay, Zamboanga del Sur, the Gumamela Cooperative in Quezon City, and the Women of War in Matanog, Maguindanao del Norte.

Unvas or unas, meaning dried banana leaves, was initially sold as art canvas for students and artists in Zamboanga del Sur.

“A thinner version of unvas was sold as printing papers for schools and agencies needing special papers for certificates,” Fabie said.

The  product was further developed into beads and converted into accessories, home decors, and other wearable items, Fabie stated.

Pagbayaw Incorporator Jessica Casimiro shared that at the Zamboanga Peninsula Exposition 2022 organized by the Department of Trade and Industry IX, Unvas was awarded Best New Product on its first year of production. These days, half of the produced Unvas are usually sold as art canvas, while the other half is forwarded to the PDLs for beads production.

“Dumalinao Mayor Sweet Cerilles pitched our livelihood project to Sen. Loren Legarda, and her office granted us funding for equipment, allowing us to increase Unvas production from 100 pieces to 3,000 pieces daily,” said Fabie.

“We also received a funding from DOST Technology and Promotion Institute for laboratory analyses and were assisted by several non-government agencies including the Philippine National Police, the Armed Forces of the Philippines, and the Western Mindanao State University through the WMSU Agri-Aqua Technology Business Education,” Fabie said.

Pagbayaw Incorporator Christine Yambao said, “We would continue to utilize the grants from the Office of Sen. Loren Legarda through the Department of Labor and Employment Region IX and the DOST TAPI in order to upscale the production of Unvas  and ensure quality assurance by fabricating new equipment  and conducting several laboratory tests.” (Frencie L. Carreon, MindaNews)