Southeast Asia is the world's largest pineapple producing region with the highest yield in Philippines, Thailand and Indonesia. The large amount of pineapple leaf wastes is usually disposed of by burning, discarding in landfills or composting, inflicting a negative impact on the environment. Instead, NEXTEVO works with local farmers to collect pineapple leaves and process them into value-added materials for the textile industry, which both minimizes the impact of the treatment process on the existing environment and increases farmers' income. Jinny Tantipipatpong, chairman of SAICO (the world's fourth largest canned pineapple producer), has established a joint venture with NEXTEVO in Thailand to create a vertically integrated supply chain that includes sourcing pineapple leaves, processing them into RTS fibers and blended yarns for manufacturers to produce high-end consumer goods for brands around the world. The production of pineapple leaf fibers (PALF) in Thailand took one year from proof-of-concept to production. The pilot production has started since the late September 2021 with an expanded output in 2022 Q1. In Indonesia, pineapple leaves fiber procurement has been initiated through farm cooperatives with a planned further expansion in 2022 Q2 to process coconut shell waste into sustainable materials. NEXTEVO founder Harold Koh, who used to be the CEO of Great Giant Pineapple, the world's largest Pineapple plantation that is located in Indonesia, for nine years, has built an extensive networking in the agricultural sector. Harold plans to expand the business into other types of agricultural waste in Southeast Asia, providing sustainable value-added solutions on a large scale. Over the next three years, NEXTEVO aims to benefit the lives of 5,000 farmers in Southeast Asia 

Source: tnc.com.cn