FAQ - Mother Pearl

What is PLA?

PLA plastic is made of polylactic acid. Raw materials used for PLA’s production are renewable resources include cornstarch, tapioca roots, or sugarcane. Not recyclable yet biodegradable, and therefore, PLA plastic is regarded as a more environmental-friendly substitute of the regular PP plastic.

How long does it takes for PLA to decompose?

As the ingredients of PLA are plants, which are bio-based, PLA turns into natural materials by undergoing a decomposition that is carried out by the microorganisms in the environment for about 40 days.

Is there any facilities to decompose PLA? How does it work in PLA recycling?

Without relevant regulations in Hong Kong, the city is lack of large-scale composting facility to degrade the PLA material but there are existing private companies that provide the needed process. We are exploring partnership with these firms to collect and decompose the PLA material we use.

What is the difference in appearance for PLA and PP? How do you communicate with the customers on recycling on the products?

As the ingredients of PLA are plants, which are bio-based, PLA turns into natural materials by undergoing a decomposition that is carried out by the microorganisms in the environment for about 40 days.

What are the measures that mother pearl are using in recycling?

Both PLA and PP plastic are transparent; hence, the appearance is identical. For the convenience of our customers, all our PLA cutleries and cups are labelled, which is useful for differentiation and classification for recycling.

Why does Mother Pearl chose to use PLA products? Will you consider in using other materials which will have less demage to our environment?

Other than PLA, we use paper cups for our hot drinks. Despite PLA is not a perfect solution, it is still preferred over PP plastic for its bio-degradable feature and eventually create less waste for the landfill. Simultaneously, our team is exploring materials that could be as eco-friendly, if not more, for our containers. We always encourage our guests to bring their own containers/cups as a mean to reduce wastage, however, this policy is suspended temporarily as one of the enhanced in-store safety and hygiene measures during this dynamic situation.