FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

What is Malama Eco Products?

Malama Eco Products are all from sustainable sources and they are either degradable, biodegradable and compostable depending on what category they fall in. So our plates are all compostable and made from sugar cane. Malama Eco Product’s utensils are made from cornstarch and again are compostable and biodegradable, while our  chopsticks are made from a sustainable species of bamboo that grows on average a foot a month. Our resealable plastic storage bags are 97 percent degradable with only 3 percent petroleum products. So whether you compost our  products are they end up in the landfill, over time nearly all of our materials become worm food.


Most people want to go green, but think its too expensive. Is that true?

Absolutely not. Malama Eco Products has been in the market place for over seven years and we’ve been really successful in our mission to make and sell eco-products within the same price range as non-eco-friendly products. In fact, some of the Malama Eco Products are cheaper than non-eco products, like our utensils.

You know everything tends to be more expensive in Hawaii – that’s just a fact. Knowing you can buy something that is affordable AND good for the environment – that’s a win and that’s our mission.


Why was Malama Eco Products created?

I grew up in Hawaii and spent a lot of tie outside surfing and fishing. I’ve seen the litter problem grow and group. People are always talking about cleaning up because plastic and chemicals are making their way into our streams, oceans and eventually our food that we eat.… what if there aren’t any toxins or plastic to clean up? We know people are going to make bad choices and litter. How do we minimize that impact?

With the birth of my youngest son, I wanted to make sure the things I loved about Hawaii growing up, will be here for him to love to. So that’s why I started Malama Eco Products. With the premise that if eco-friendly products were the same price as plastic or Styrofoam, people would buy eco. That in turn would naturally help the environment. It becomes a routine in your everyday life. Buying things they would normally buy, and saving money, they are helping the environment.” – David Pang


How are Malama Eco Products made?

Each product is different, but let’s start with the compostable items. They fall into two categories: our serving ware and our utensils. The plates, takeout containers and bowls are made from sugarcane pulp. Have you ever gone to an open market, and gotten a fresh cup of sugarcane drink? The pulp used to be thrown away or burned to generate electricity, which can cause air pollution. Now, we take that throw-away product and turn it into these items that don’t leak and will even hold up to a big batch of chili or chicken long rice.

Now our utensils are made from cornstarch or sustainably harvested bamboo. The cornstarch is used as the raw materials for an injection molding.


Your resealable bags look just like the plastic kind. How are they made and how are they different?

The resealable bags are made from a product called D2W. This is a hybrid of plant-based polymers and a small bit of traditional plastic. Our bags are 97 percent degradable, which means after a few years, 97 percent goes back to the dirt. Three to five years may sound like a long time, but the regular resealable bags last hundreds of years and never breakdown. Instead, the full plastic resealable bags break into small bits and pieces, poisoning our sea life and accelerating climate change.

BUY AT THESE LOCAL STORES

Waianae Store
Nanakuli Superette
KTA on the Big Island
VIP on Maui
Big Save on Kauai
Friendly Market on Molokai